A big company named Amazon has to pay a lot of money in France because they watched their workers too much. The group in France that makes sure people's private information is safe said Amazon did something wrong. Amazon kept track of what workers did with their handheld machines in a bad way. Amazon doesn't agree with this and wants to change the decision.

People have been worried about how Amazon watches its workers before. In the UK, people didn't like how Amazon checked if workers were doing their jobs fast enough. A big boss at Amazon said that workers could lose their jobs if they were too slow three times. A group of important people in the UK and a workers' group both said it's not good to watch workers so closely.

The problems at Amazon's places in France started when workers and news stories said bad things about how Amazon treated them. The French group found out that Amazon knew too much about what workers did, even when they took breaks. Amazon also didn't tell workers and visitors enough about the cameras watching them. The French group said Amazon was being too nosy and didn't need to know every little thing the workers did.

Original news source: Amazon fined for 'excessive' surveillance of workers (BBC)

– News Summary
Instructions: Ask the students to read the article and write a summary of the main points in their own words. Then, have them share their summaries with a partner or in small groups. Encourage them to discuss any questions or opinions they have about the topic.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Give each group a set of questions related to the article (e.g. Do you think it is fair for companies to monitor their workers? Why or why not?). Instruct the students to discuss the questions and record their opinions. Afterward, have each group share their opinions with the class and facilitate a discussion.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Select a few key vocabulary words from the article (e.g. company, workers, watched, private information). Write each word on a separate piece of paper or index card. Divide the class into two teams. One person from each team will come to the front of the class and draw a picture to represent the word without using any letters or numbers. The first team to correctly guess the word gets a point. Repeat with different words and continue until all words have been used.
– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into two groups. Assign one group to come up with the pros (advantages) of Amazon monitoring its workers, and the other group to come up with the cons (disadvantages). Give the groups a few minutes to brainstorm and write down their ideas. Then, have each group present their arguments to the class. Encourage respectful debate and discussion.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask the students to imagine what the future might look like for Amazon and its workers. Will companies continue to monitor their employees? Will there be new laws or regulations to protect workers' privacy? Have the students write down their predictions and share them with a partner or in small groups. Afterward, facilitate a class discussion and encourage students to support their predictions with reasons or evidence from the article.

A big company named ? has to pay a lot of money in France because they watched their ? too much. The group in France that makes sure people's private information is ? said Amazon did something wrong. Amazon kept track of what workers did with their handheld machines in a bad way. Amazon doesn't ? with this and ? to change the decision. People have been worried about how Amazon ? its workers before. In the UK, people didn't like how Amazon checked if workers were doing their jobs fast enough. A big boss at Amazon said that workers could lose their jobs if they were too slow three ?. A ? of important people in the UK and a workers' group both ? it's not good to watch workers so closely. The problems at Amazon's places in France started when workers and news stories said bad things about how Amazon treated them. The French group ? out that Amazon knew too much about what workers did, even when they took breaks. Amazon also didn't ? workers and visitors ? about the cameras watching them. The French group said Amazon was being too nosy and didn't need to know every little thing the workers did.

1. What is Amazon?
2. How would you feel if your boss watched everything you did at work?
3. Do you think it's fair for Amazon to check if workers are doing their jobs fast enough? Why or why not?
4. What do you think about the French group's decision that Amazon did something wrong?
5. Have you ever had a job where you felt like your boss watched you too much? How did it make you feel?
6. Do you think it's important for workers to have privacy at work? Why or why not?
7. How do you think the workers at Amazon felt when they found out they were being watched all the time?
8. Do you like the idea of cameras watching you at work? Why or why not?
9. What would you do if you found out your boss was watching you without telling you?
10. How do you think Amazon could change the way they watch their workers?
11. Do you think it's right for Amazon to know every little thing the workers do? Why or why not?
12. What do you think should happen to Amazon now that they have to pay a lot of money in France?

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