Mary Lynch & Cindy Bell
Virginia
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Project:
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This is the second lesson in a three-part unit consisting of:
(1) Placement and Organization of Employment Ads
(2) Understanding Content Vocabulary in Employment Ads
(3) Choosing an Appropriate Employment Ad
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Subjects:
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Adult basic education, Employability, Life Skills
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Learner Level:
Time Frame:
Learner Grouping:
Setting:
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The activity took place in the small conference room of the Peninsula READS Adult Learning Center. The activity was a voluntary small group workshop consisting of three 2.5-hour sessions. Six learners participated; they were divided into two groups.
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Email:
Program:
Type of Program:
Student Population Served:
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Literacy (grade levels 0-4.9)
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Understanding Content Vocabulary in Employment Ads
Working in small groups, learners use worksheets and the classified ads in a local newspaper to improve their ability to interpret newspaper employment ads by learning to read and understand commonly used content vocabulary (phrases and abbreviations).
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Learning Objective:
Learners will be able to recognize and understand common content vocabulary and abbreviations found in employment ads.
Primary Skill:
Read with understanding
Secondary Skills:
Observe critically
Learner Needs & Goals:
Participants needed to learn how to effectively use a newspaper to find a job. Their long-term goal was to find a job.
Learning Activity Description:
This activity has three steps followed by an assessment activity.
(1) Employment Vocabulary: Have learners work in groups, using a dictionary, to complete the matching exercise on employment ad content vocabulary in Handout #1. The answers to this exercise are in Handout #1a.
(2) Employment Terms/Phrases: Using the vocabulary definitions from Handout #1, have groups brainstorm definitions for common phrases in employment ads (Handout #2). Ask learners to return to the large group for a discussion of the phrases and how they might be relevant to their own employment situations.
(3) Employment Abbreviations: Have the small groups compete to see how many employment ad abbreviations they can decipher on Handout #3. Ask learners to return to the large group to discuss the meaning of the abbreviations and phrases. Answers to this exercise are in Handout #3a. This is a good activity for competition among groups, pairs or individuals. Learners can also put these definitions on flash cards as a learning tool to use individually or within groups.
Materials and Resources:
Materials and Resources (handouts, transparencies, equipment, etc.):
complete newspapers, dictionaries, scissors, paste/tape, handouts:
Handout #1 - Content Vocabulary Matching
Handout #1a - Content Vocabulary Matching Answers
Handout #2 - Definitions of Common Phrases
Handout #3 - Employment Abbreviations
Handout #3a - Employment Abbreviations Answer Sheet
Handout #4 - Employment Ads Scavenger Hunt
Attachments: see above
Assessment:
Learners know some employment ad content vocabulary and phrases. Distribute Handout #4 - Employment Ads Scavenger Hunt and the classified section to individual learners. Tell them that they must find want ads in the newspaper for each employment phrase and paste them to the worksheet. By successfully completing this activity, they demonstrate that they recognize and understand common content vocabulary and abbreviations found in employment ads.
Reflection:
The initial dictionary exercise with employment vocabulary was too long. We might shorten it next time. The competition with the employment abbreviations livened up the session. The learners enjoyed the assessment piece. Their competence with it showed that they were becoming comfortable with content vocabulary and newspaper layout, and could use the newspaper independently to look for a job.
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