People in India already work a lot, but experts say working more hours is not the only way to do more work. They say it's also important to learn new skills, have a good place to work, and get paid fairly. Some leaders in India agree with Murthy, but others say working five days a week is not right for a country like India that is growing fast. At the same time, some countries like Belgium and the UK are trying shorter work weeks.
The argument about how many hours people should work in India is making people think about how much work is done, how work and life balance, and how workers are treated. It shows that it's important to think about not just how many hours are worked, but also things like learning new skills, getting paid fairly, and having a good place to work.
Original news source: NR Narayana Murthy: Why Indians are debating a 70-hour work week (BBC)
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will take turns acting out a job or occupation while the other groups try to guess what it is. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. After a few rounds, discuss the importance of different occupations and how they contribute to society.
– News Summary
Instructions: Have the students read the article individually or in pairs. Then, ask each student to write a summary of the article in 3-4 sentences. After they finish, have them share their summaries with a partner and discuss any similarities or differences. Finally, have a class discussion about the main points of the article.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of statements related to the article, such as "Working 70 hours a week is necessary for economic growth" or "Shorter work weeks are better for work-life balance." Have the students stand on one side of the room if they agree with the statement, and the other side if they disagree. Then, ask a few students from each side to explain their opinions.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of key vocabulary words from the article on the board. Divide the class into small groups. Each group will take turns choosing a word and drawing it on the board while the other groups try to guess what it is. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. After a few rounds, review the meanings of the words as a class.
– Headline Creation
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Give each group a blank sheet of paper and ask them to create a catchy headline related to the article. Encourage them to be creative and use their knowledge of the topic. After they finish, have each group share their headline with the class and explain their reasoning behind it.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
NR Narayana Murthy said young people should work 70 hours a week to help the country grow.
Some people are worried about working too much because it can lead to low pay and health problems.
Some other ways to do more work besides working more hours are learning new skills, having a good place to work, and getting paid fairly.
No, not all leaders in India agree with Murthy about working 70 hours a week. Some leaders say working five days a week is not right for a fast-growing country like India.
Belgium and the UK are trying shorter work weeks.
Besides the number of hours they work, people should think about learning new skills, getting paid fairly, and having a good place to work.
It is important to have a good place to work because it can make people feel happier and more productive.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
A rich man in India, NR Narayana Murthy, said young people should work 70 hours a week to the grow. Some people agree with him, but worry about low pay and health problems from working too much. This is happening when many people are thinking about how much they work because of the pandemic. People in India already work a lot, but experts say working hours is not the only way to do more work. They say it's also important to learn new skills, have a good place to work, and get paid fairly. Some in India agree with , but others say working five days a week is not right for a country like that is fast. At the same time, some countries like Belgium and the UK are trying shorter work weeks. The argument about how many hours people should work in India is making people about how much work is done, how work and life balance, and how are . It shows that it's important to think about not just how many hours are worked, but also things like learning new skills, getting paid fairly, and having a good place to work.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What do you think about working 70 hours a week? Why or why not?
2. How would you feel if you had to work long hours but didn't get paid much?
3. Do you think it's important to learn new skills at work? Why or why not?
4. What is a good place to work like? How would it make you feel?
5. Do you think it's fair for people to work five days a week? Why or why not?
6. How do you think shorter work weeks could benefit workers?
7. What do you think about the idea of work-life balance? Why is it important?
8. How would you feel if you were treated unfairly at work? Why?
9. Do you think it's important for workers to be paid fairly? Why or why not?
10. How would you feel if you had to work in a bad place? Why?
11. What are some skills you would like to learn at work? Why?
12. How would you feel if you had to work long hours and didn't have time for other things you enjoy? Why?
Individual Activities
ππ Vocabulary Meanings:
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Words
Meanings
π‘ Multiple Choice Questions:
π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
π Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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