Jobs and work

Objective & content

This sheet on jobs and work starts from a conversation between Amelia and Jamal about their work experience week: Jamal helped two mechanics repair cars at a garage, Amelia answered the phone and watched an operation at the vet's, and they talk about their parents' jobs and their own plans. The conversation carries the target words, from colleague, overalls and boss to shift, salary, skills and apply. Pupils answer six multiple-choice questions on it, name six jobs from a box of eight words, match eight words with their meanings, complete eight sentences from a box of ten words and make five jobs with -ist. The sheet ends on "Who's who?": six people describe their job, and pupils write each number under the right picture.

Pedagogical guide

Pupils meet every word in the conversation before they practise it, then move from recognising the words to using them. Every task tests words only: no answer depends on a tense. The conversation draws a line that pupils often miss: mechanics repair cars, engineers design them. The word-form task asks for one kind of change (jobs with -ist) and opens with a worked example (reception, receptionist); pupils must watch the spelling (science, scientist). The final task is the hardest: the pilot and the flight attendant both work on a plane, so pupils must read every detail. In England, many pupils spend a week of work experience in a workplace in Year 10.

Suggested procedure

1. (5 min) Ask "What do you want to be?" and write the jobs on the board.
2. (10 min) Two pupils read the conversation aloud; the class answers the six questions.
3. (10 min) Pupils name the six jobs and match the eight words with their meanings.
4. (12 min) Pupils complete the sentences, then read the worked example together and make the jobs with -ist.
5. (8 min) "Who's who?": pupils read what the six people say and write each number under its picture.
6. (5 min) Check with the answer key on page 4.

Adaptations

[S] A pupil mimes a job and the class guesses it.

[A] Pupils present their dream job in four sentences: what it is, where they work, the skills it needs and why they want it. To take it further, invite a parent to talk about their job in English, or pupils interview a member of the school staff.

Materials & prerequisites

One copy of the three pupil pages per pupil, in colour or in black and white. Page 4 is the answer key: keep it. Pupils should know the past simple, the present perfect with already and ever, and need to and want to be.