Some people do not want to work far away from their homes anymore. They like to work in places called “co-working spaces” that are close to where they live. A place called Patch lets people work together in a town called Twickenham. These places are good because people do not have to travel a lot and they can work better. More and more people like these places.

There are many different co-working places that are growing and helping people work near their homes. They have things that make working nice and easy. People like these places because they are close to their kids, friends, and stores. Even if a big co-working company called WeWork had money problems, the smaller places are doing well. These places help the towns and make the people who work there feel like they are part of a group.

Original news source: Work near home: The co-working hubs for locals (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Sketch It
Instructions: Give each student a piece of paper and ask them to draw a co-working space based on the description in the article. Encourage them to add details like people working, proximity to homes, stores, and friends. After they finish, have the students show their drawings to the class and describe them using simple sentences.

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Pair up the students and assign one to be a reporter and the other a person who works in a co-working space. The reporter will interview their partner with pre-written questions about why they like working in a co-working space. This will help students practice asking and answering questions in English.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of simple questions related to the article, such as “Do you like to work close to home?” or “Are co-working spaces good for towns?” Have students walk around the classroom and ask their classmates these questions, tallying the answers. Then, discuss the results as a class, allowing students to practice using phrases of agreement or disagreement.

– Word Association
Instructions: Write the term “co-working space” on the board. Ask students to say or write words they think are associated with this term (e.g., work, home, town, friends, travel). This activity helps to activate prior knowledge and introduce new vocabulary.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary from the article on slips of paper (e.g., work, travel, co-working, town, group). Divide the class into two teams. A student from one team picks a slip and draws the word for their teammates to guess within a time limit. This activity will help reinforce new vocabulary from the article in a fun and interactive way.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What do some people not want to do anymore?
2. Where do people like to work that is close to their homes?
3. What is the name of the place in Twickenham where people can work together?
4. Why are co-working spaces good for people?
5. What are some things close to the co-working spaces that people like?
6. What happened to the big co-working company called WeWork?
7. How do co-working places make people feel when they work there?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Some people do not want to work far away from their homes anymore. They like to work in (1)______ called “co-working spaces” that are close to where they (2)______. A place called Patch lets people work together in a town called Twickenham. These places are good because people do not have to (3)______ a lot and they can work better. (4)______ and more people like these places.

There are many different co-working places that are growing and helping (5)______ work near their homes. They have things that make working nice and easy. People like these places because they are (6)______ to their kids, friends, and stores. Even if a big co-working company called WeWork had (7)______ problems, the (8)______ places are doing well. These places help the towns and make the people who work there feel like they are part of a group.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a place where you can work?
2. Do you like to work near your home? Why or why not?
3. How would you feel if you had to work far away?
4. What is a “co-working space”?
5. Do you think working with other people is fun? Why?
6. Would you like to work in a place with friends? Why or why not?
7. How do you feel when you have to travel a lot?
8. What makes a good place to work?
9. Do you like being close to your family when you work? Why?
10. What do you think about working near stores?
11. Do you think it is important to feel like part of a group? Why?
12. Would you like to work in a big company or a small place? Why?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. work
2. co-working
3. Patch
4. Twickenham
5. places
6. growing
7. problems
8. group

Meanings:
(a) The name of a town
(b) The name of a specific co-working place
(c) Getting bigger
(d) A place where people work together
(e) Doing something to make money
(f) Locations where people can work
(g) Difficulties or challenges
(h) A collection of people working together
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What are some people choosing to work in instead of far away offices?
(a) Co-working spaces
(b) Restaurants
(c) Gyms
(d) Libraries

2. Where is Patch, a co-working space, located?
(a) London
(b) Berlin
(c) Twickenham
(d) Paris

3. Why do people like co-working spaces?
(a) They have lots of traffic
(b) They are close to their homes
(c) They are far from their friends
(d) They are expensive

4. What are co-working spaces helping people do near their homes?
(a) Play
(b) Work
(c) Sleep
(d) Eat

5. What are co-working spaces close to, according to the article?
(a) Parks, museums, and beaches
(b) Mountains, rivers, and forests
(c) Kids, friends, and stores
(d) Airports, train stations, and bus stops

6. What kind of problems did the big co-working company WeWork have?
(a) Food problems
(b) Weather problems
(c) Traffic problems
(d) Money problems

7. What are the smaller co-working places doing well?
(a) Helping the towns and making people feel like they are part of a group
(b) Causing trouble and making people feel lonely
(c) Closing down and making people feel sad
(d) Moving far away and making people feel lost

8. What do co-working spaces help people feel like?
(a) Alone
(b) Scared
(c) Hungry
(d) Part of a group

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Co-working spaces are good because people don’t have to travel far to work.
2. People like co-working spaces because they are close to their kids, friends, and stores.
3. More and more people are starting to like co-working spaces.
4. Patch is not a co-working space in Twickenham where people can work together.
5. Co-working spaces don’t help the towns and make people feel like they are part of a group.
6. Even though WeWork had money problems, smaller co-working places are not doing well.
7. Co-working spaces lack things that make working easy and nice.
8. Some people like to work in places near their homes called “co-working spaces”.
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 a “co-working space”?
2. Where is the place called Patch?
3. Why do people like to work in co-working spaces?
4. Are co-working spaces only in big cities?
5. What happened to a big co-working company called WeWork?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What do some people not want to do anymore?
Some people do not want to work far from their homes.

2. Where do people like to work that is close to their homes?
People like to work in co-working spaces that are close to their homes.

3. What is the name of the place in Twickenham where people can work together?
The place is called Patch.

4. Why are co-working spaces good for people?
Co-working spaces are good because people don’t have to travel much and can work better.

5. What are some things close to the co-working spaces that people like?
People like being close to their kids, friends, and stores.

6. What happened to the big co-working company called WeWork?
WeWork had money problems.

7. How do co-working places make people feel when they work there?
Co-working places make people feel like they are part of a group.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) places
(2) live
(3) travel
(4) More
(5) people
(6) close
(7) money
(8) smaller
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. work
Answer: (e) Doing something to make money

2. co-working
Answer: (d) A place where people work together

3. Patch
Answer: (b) The name of a specific co-working place

4. Twickenham
Answer: (a) The name of a town

5. places
Answer: (f) Locations where people can work

6. growing
Answer: (c) Getting bigger

7. problems
Answer: (g) Difficulties or challenges

8. group
Answer: (h) A collection of people working together
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What are some people choosing to work in instead of far away offices?
Answer: (a) Co-working spaces

2. Where is Patch, a co-working space, located?
Answer: (c) Twickenham

3. Why do people like co-working spaces?
Answer: (b) They are close to their homes

4. What are co-working spaces helping people do near their homes?
Answer: (b) Work

5. What are co-working spaces close to, according to the article?
Answer: (c) Kids, friends, and stores

6. What kind of problems did the big co-working company WeWork have?
Answer: (d) Money problems

7. What are the smaller co-working places doing well?
Answer: (a) Helping the towns and making people feel like they are part of a group

8. What do co-working spaces help people feel like?
Answer: (d) Part of a group
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Co-working spaces are good because people don’t have to travel far to work. (Answer: True)
2. People like co-working spaces because they are close to their kids, friends, and stores. (Answer: True)
3. More and more people are starting to like co-working spaces. (Answer: True)
4. Patch is not a co-working space in Twickenham where people can work together. (Answer: False)
5. Co-working spaces don’t help the towns and make people feel like they are part of a group. (Answer: False)
6. Even though WeWork had money problems, smaller co-working places are not doing well. (Answer: False)
7. Co-working spaces lack things that make working easy and nice. (Answer: False)
8. Some people like to work in places near their homes called “co-working spaces”. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧