Subject area - The world of work

You're hired!

WebWare, a successful IT company, is suddenly in need of a new sales director. Follow Philip Hart and Marcia Boardman as they take us through the process of recruiting a new team member. Watch the videos and complete the tasks:

Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
Episode 8
Episode 9
Episode 10

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The Pacific Trash Vortex Explained

1. First, just watch the vide and try to get a general idea.

2. Click now HERE, read the questions and answer them as you're watching the video once again.

Personal values

The lesson is based around the recent Dove advertisement, showing the huge difference between women’s views of their looks and how other see them.  The lesson starts by focusing on collocations to describe facial features, such as thick hair, full lips and so on. Students then watch the video and discuss some of the issues raised, including self -esteem, the role of the media,and differences between men and women. More language to describe physical appearance is ‘pulled out’ of the video, and the lesson ends with students writing detailed descriptions of themselves.

An optional extra that might work well to lighten the class a little  is a very funny spoof video, where some men find out that they are actually much uglier than they think they are! The link is in the accompanying notes.

PDF here.

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Environmental issues - Orangutan asks for help in sign language

PDF HERE.

The lesson starts with an activity to find out what students know about orangutans. It then moves onto the video, which claims to be a sign language conversation between a deaf American girl and an orangutan. In fact, the video is staged, but it will have more impact if you don’t tell students this at first. The video is subtitled and the language until the last section is very straightforward. Students then do a matching exercise on some vocabulary related to the video, before using the words to complete a short text explaining what is happening to orangutans as a result of the cultivation of unsustainable palm oil, and what we can do about it. The lesson ends by asking the students to consider some of the issues.

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I wish... Crowdwish

PDF HERE.

The lesson is about a new online service, CrowdWish, which invites people to post their wishes on their website. Every day people vote on the most popular wish, and CrowdWish will grant it!  Students start by discussing some wishes taken from the site, then read a short text about what the site aims to do (so don’t tell them at the start of the lesson!)  There is then a focus on some useful idioms, before going on to watch a video in which the founder of the site, ‘pitches’ his idea. The video is fairly complex, but students are simply asked to put the topics they hear in order. Students then look at the grammar used with ‘wish’, particularly at the use of ‘would’ when you want someone else to change their behaviour. Finally the students come up with their own wishes and vote on them, like on the site. You could even try and grant the top wish if you’re feeling creative.

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