There is a special group called Workaholics Anonymous. It’s for people who can’t stop working too much. This group is a safe place where people can talk about how hard it is for them to not work all the time. They help each other to understand that working too much is not good. They learn that it’s okay not to work all the time and that they are good people even when they are not working.

In the UK, working too much is not seen as a sickness, but it can still make people feel bad and hurt their friendships. Sometimes, people work too much because they are scared they don’t have enough money or they are not good enough. The group, Workaholics Anonymous, has meetings every week where people help each other. They learn that they are more than just their jobs. It’s important for them to remember this always.

Original news source: Workaholics Anonymous: ‘I couldn’t step away from the computer’ (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team will come up to the front of the class and act out a job or work-related action without speaking. The rest of the class will try to guess what job or action they are acting out. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Continue until all students have had a turn.

– News Summary
Instructions: Read the article out loud to the class. Then, in pairs or small groups, have the students summarize the main points of the article in their own words. Encourage them to use the vocabulary and phrases from the article in their summaries. Afterward, have some groups share their summaries with the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down a list of job-related vocabulary words from the article on the board. Divide the class into small groups and give each group a set of vocabulary words. One student from each group will come up to the board and draw a picture to represent one of the words. The rest of the group will try to guess what word it is. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. Continue until all words have been drawn.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a copy of the article. One student will be the speaker and the other student will be the listener. The speaker will have one minute to summarize the article, using their own words. The listener must listen carefully and then give a brief summary of what they heard. Encourage the students to use the vocabulary and phrases from the article in their summaries. Afterward, switch roles and repeat the activity.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask the students to think about a time when they felt like they were working too much or when they saw someone else working too much. In pairs, have the students share their stories and discuss how it made them feel. Then, have some pairs share their stories with the class and lead a class discussion about the importance of work-life balance.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What is Workaholics Anonymous?
2. Why do people go to Workaholics Anonymous?
3. What do people learn at the meetings?
4. Why do some people work too much?
5. How often do the meetings happen?
6. What is important for people to remember?
7. Why is it not good to work all the time?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

There is a special group called (1)______ Anonymous. It’s for people who can’t stop working too much. This group is a safe (2)______ where people can talk about how hard it is for them to not work all the time. They help each other to understand that (3)______ too much is not (4)______. They learn that it’s okay not to work all the time and that they are good people even when they are not working.

In the UK, working too much is not (5)______ as a (6)______, but it can still make people feel bad and hurt their friendships. Sometimes, people work too much because they are scared they don’t have enough money or they are not good enough. The group, Workaholics (7)______, has meetings every week where (8)______ help each other. They learn that they are more than just their jobs. It’s important for them to remember this always.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is Workaholics Anonymous?
2. How would you feel if you had to work all the time?
3. Do you like working too much? Why or why not?
4. What do you think happens to people who work too much?
5. How do you think Workaholics Anonymous helps people?
6. Do you think it’s important to have a balance between work and free time? Why or why not?
7. What do you think people talk about at the meetings of Workaholics Anonymous?
8. How would you feel if your friend always worked and didn’t have time to play with you?
9. Do you think it’s good to have a lot of money? Why or why not?
10. What do you think is more important, having a lot of money or having good friends?
11. How do you think people can be more than just their jobs?
12. Why do you think it’s important for people to remember that they are more than just their jobs?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Workaholics
2. Anonymous
3. Meetings
4. Sickness
5. Friendships
6. Scared
7. Money
8. Important
9. Jobs
10. Remember

Meanings:
(A) When your body or mind is not feeling well
(B) The work that grown-ups do to earn money
(C) What you use to buy things like toys or food
(D) A secret way, so no one knows who you are
(E) Times when people come together to talk or do something
(F) Something that you need to pay a lot of attention to because it matters a lot
(G) To keep something in your mind so you don’t forget it
(H) People who can’t stop doing their work
(I) The people you like to spend time with and play
(J) Feeling afraid of something
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is Workaholics Anonymous?
(a) A special group for people who work too much
(b) A place to go on vacation
(c) A famous restaurant
(d) A type of food

2. Why do some people work too much?
(a) Because they don’t like to have fun
(b) Because they are scared they don’t have enough money or they are not good enough
(c) Because they have too much free time
(d) Because they are lazy

3. What do people learn in Workaholics Anonymous?
(a) They should work even more
(b) It’s okay not to work all the time and they are still good people
(c) They should never take a break
(d) They should quit their jobs

4. Is working too much considered a sickness in the UK?
(a) Yes
(b) Sometimes
(c) No
(d) It depends

5. How often do the meetings of Workaholics Anonymous happen?
(a) Every month
(b) Every day
(c) Every week
(d) Never

6. What can working too much do to friendships?
(a) Hurt them
(b) Make them stronger
(c) Make them disappear
(d) Make them happier

7. Why is it important for people in Workaholics Anonymous to remember they are more than just their jobs?
(a) Because their jobs are the only important thing
(b) Because they don’t have any friends
(c) Because they don’t like their jobs
(d) Because they have other things in their lives that are important

8. What is the main goal of Workaholics Anonymous?
(a) To make people work even more
(b) To make people quit their jobs
(c) To make people feel bad about themselves
(d) To help people who work too much and make them feel better

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. People in the group talk about how hard it is for them to not work all the time.
2. Workaholics Anonymous has meetings every week to help people.
3. Working too much can make people feel good and improve their friendships.
4. The group hinders people from realizing that they are more than just their jobs.
5. There is a group called Workaholics Anonymous for people who work too much.
6. It’s important for people to remember that they are good even when they are not working.
7. The group prevents people who work too much from understanding that it’s not good.
8. Some people work too much because they are confident they have enough money or they are good enough.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What is the special group called?
2. Why do people go to the group?
3. What do the people in the group help each other with?
4. Why do some people work too much?
5. What is important for the people in the group to remember?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is Workaholics Anonymous?
Workaholics Anonymous is a special group for people who work too much and can’t stop.

2. Why do people go to Workaholics Anonymous?
People go to Workaholics Anonymous because they need help to stop working too much and to feel better.

3. What do people learn at the meetings?
People learn at the meetings that it’s okay not to work all the time and that they are more than just their jobs.

4. Why do some people work too much?
Some people work too much because they are scared they don’t have enough money or they think they are not good enough.

5. How often do the meetings happen?
The meetings happen every week.

6. What is important for people to remember?
It is important for people to remember that they are good people even when they are not working.

7. Why is it not good to work all the time?
It is not good to work all the time because it can make people feel bad and hurt their friendships.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Workaholics
(2) place
(3) working
(4) good
(5) seen
(6) sickness
(7) Anonymous
(8) people
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Workaholics
Answer: (H) People who can’t stop doing their work

2. Anonymous
Answer: (D) A secret way, so no one knows who you are

3. Meetings
Answer: (E) Times when people come together to talk or do something

4. Sickness
Answer: (A) When your body or mind is not feeling well

5. Friendships
Answer: (I) The people you like to spend time with and play

6. Scared
Answer: (J) Feeling afraid of something

7. Money
Answer: (C) What you use to buy things like toys or food

8. Important
Answer: (F) Something that you need to pay a lot of attention to because it matters a lot

9. Jobs
Answer: (B) The work that grown-ups do to earn money

10. Remember
Answer: (G) To keep something in your mind so you don’t forget it
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is Workaholics Anonymous?
Answer: (a) A special group for people who work too much

2. Why do some people work too much?
Answer: (b) Because they are scared they don’t have enough money or they are not good enough

3. What do people learn in Workaholics Anonymous?
Answer: (b) It’s okay not to work all the time and they are still good people

4. Is working too much considered a sickness in the UK?
Answer: (c) No

5. How often do the meetings of Workaholics Anonymous happen?
Answer: (c) Every week

6. What can working too much do to friendships?
Answer: (a) Hurt them

7. Why is it important for people in Workaholics Anonymous to remember they are more than just their jobs?
Answer: (d) Because they have other things in their lives that are important

8. What is the main goal of Workaholics Anonymous?
Answer: (d) To help people who work too much and make them feel better
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. People in the group talk about how hard it is for them to not work all the time. (Answer: True)
2. Workaholics Anonymous has meetings every week to help people. (Answer: True)
3. Working too much can make people feel good and improve their friendships. (Answer: False)
4. The group hinders people from realizing that they are more than just their jobs. (Answer: False)
5. There is a group called Workaholics Anonymous for people who work too much. (Answer: True)
6. It’s important for people to remember that they are good even when they are not working. (Answer: True)
7. The group prevents people who work too much from understanding that it’s not good. (Answer: False)
8. Some people work too much because they are confident they have enough money or they are good enough. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧