International Workers’ Day (May day)

This ESL worksheet explores the history and significance of International Workers’ Day (May Day) and the global struggle for workers’ rights. It is designed for B1–B2 level learners and is especially suitable for teaching around May 1st. The lesson introduces key concepts such as labor movements, strikes, working conditions, and minimum wage, while also examining an important historical event—the Haymarket Affair of 1886. It is ideal for learners interested in social issues, history, and real-world English related to work, rights, and activism. Students develop essential vocabulary connected to employment, labor rights, and protest movements. The lesson also includes a focus on the passive voice in the past simple, helping learners describe historical events more accurately. Another lesson you might like is “Labor unions“.

Speaking: Lead-in and Discussion
The lesson begins with a discussion about jobs, working hours, and workers’ rights in students’ own countries.

Vocabulary: Work, Rights, and Protest
Students learn and practice key terms such as working conditions, labor union, employer, employee, labor movement, minimum wage, strike, and rally. They complete definition-matching tasks and use the vocabulary in context. A second vocabulary set introduces words related to violence and law enforcement (e.g. wounded, injured, to charge, to sentence), preparing learners for the listening task. Learners reflect on their experiences and opinions, including whether they would join a labor union, if strikes are effective, and what fair working conditions look like. This stage encourages personalisation and activates prior knowledge of the topic.

Listening: The History of May Day
Students watch a video titled “The REAL history of May Day, or International Workers’ Day” and complete comprehension activities. They focus on key facts about the 1886 strikes in Chicago, including working conditions, protests, and the Haymarket incident. Tasks include note-taking, answering questions, and discussing interpretations of the events, helping learners build both global and detailed listening skills.

Grammar: Passive Voice in Context
Learners review and practice the passive voice in the past simple through examples based on historical events. They transform active sentences into passive forms and use the structure to retell the story of the Haymarket Affair, reinforcing both grammar accuracy and historical understanding.

Speaking: Historical Events and Social Change
Students research a topic from their own country’s history, such as a revolution, protest, or natural disaster, and present it using the passive voice.

For more speaking practice, you can use the printable conversation cards.