B1 – Celebrating Halloween at Work

Description

Perfect for Business English learners or adult ESL classes exploring workplace culture!

Help your B1-level English learners build fluency through a fun and professional topic – celebrating Halloween at work. This engaging resource includes both a worksheet and presentation, designed to guide a full 45-minute reading and speaking lesson.

Warmer: Celebrating at Work

Start by asking students how holidays are celebrated in their country – Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, etc. Do people do anything at work? Move the focus to Halloween: Have they ever celebrated it with colleagues? What did it involve? Would they like to? Then, wrap it up with a quick discussion about the appropriateness of celebrating holidays at work and the things that may go wrong if not handled well.

Advertisements

Reading for Gist: Halloween at Work Can Be a Treat or Tricky

Introduce a short article originally published by ALT HR Partners about the dos and don’ts of Halloween in the workplace (Halloween at Work Can Be a Treat or Tricky). Start by previewing the headings.

1. Force participation
2. Set guidelines for costumes
3. Determine when you will allow Halloween work costumes
4. Be disruptive
5. Consider Halloween work themes

Ask students in pairs to decide whether each one is a do or a don’t. After that, students read the full article (divided into five short paragraphs) and match the headings to the correct sections. This is a great chance to discuss cultural norms, reflect on workplace etiquette, and build vocabulary around HR-style communication.

Vocabulary in Use: Context Clues and Definitions

Once students have read the article, draw their attention to the underlined words in the text. These might include terms like neurodivergent, inclusive, or mandatory. Individually or in pairs, students match these to their definitions and ask questions about any unfamiliar expressions.

Reading for Detail: True or False

To ensure everyone understands the article, give students eight true or false statements based on the text. Encourage them to find the answers in the article. This reinforces comprehension and helps clarify trickier sections.

Advertisements

Visual Discussion: Dos and Don’ts in Pictures

The class finishes with two speaking activities. In the first one, students are presented with three pictures. Put students into groups of three and ask them to describe them to each other in about one minute. Monitor the activity and provide speaking feedback as needed. Then, as a group, analyze the pictures and identify the dos and don’ts mentioned in the article. The photos include an overly decorated office, a man in the office who is the only one in costume, and a scary costume that covers the face.

Role-Play: Plan a Halloween Office Party

Finish the lesson with a fun, practical role-play that mimics Part 3 of the Cambridge FCE Speaking Exam. Students imagine their boss has asked them to organize a Halloween event. They are given four notes to consider:

1. Provide candy for all employees.
2. Competition for the most creative decoration of the desk.
3. Decorate the whole office – the scarier, the better!
4. Mandatory costumes.

In pairs, students decide how to implement (or modify) each suggestion. Should costumes be optional? How much decorating is too much? This is a great opportunity to use polite disagreement and negotiation phrases in context while exploring ideas for celebrating Halloween at work.