THE WORLD OF PROFESSIONS.

JOB QUALITIES AND SKILLS

Suggested level – A2 pre-intermediate

Liudmyla Stakh,
a teacher of English,
educational complex “Holovanivsk comprehensive school
of the I-III degrees named after T.H.Shevchenko-gymnasia”,
Holovanivsk, Kirovohrad region

Objectives:
- to revise the topic-related vocabulary;
- to develop students’ speaking and listening skills;
- to practice reading for detailed information;
- to broaden students’ knowledge about different professions and job qualities;
- to practice students in giving a presentation;
- to develop students’ creative abilities;
- to encourage students to communicate in English.

Equipment: the coursebook ‘’Click on 3’’, Express Publishing, DVD, handouts, pictures.

PROCEDURE

І. INTRODUCTION. WARMING-UP
T: Good morning, children! I am glad to see you. Take your seats. How are you? As for me,
I am calm. I feel very well! And you? Speak in turn, please.
You are my lovely students. I know you are hard- working and intelligent. I’m sure you are
ready to work hard. Let’s say our motto:
We are hard-working,
We learn English hard,
Without any doubt
Achieve the result!
The topic of our lesson is “The world of professions. Job qualities and skills”.
During this lesson we’ll speak a lot about jobs and job qualities. We will watch a good video
about jobs .You will also read an interesting text. Moreover, some students will present their
projects “Professions in my family”. You will practice your English and improve language skills
during our lesson.

ІІ. BRAINSTORMING
T: To start the lesson it is necessary to encode the key word ”PROFESSIONS”. To do this you
should name as many jobs for each letter as you can.
(Students name jobs)
E.g. P – postman, pilot, programmer, photographer, porter, pet-sitter
R - receptionist
 O - operator
F - firefighter, florist, farmer
E - economist, engineer
S - seller, sailor, spaceman, shop- assistant
S - soldier, surgeon
I - interpreter
O - official
N - nurse, nanny
S - social worker, scientist
And now let’s recite the poem “What do you want to be?” which we learned at the previous
lessons.

“What do you want to be?”

There are a lot of professions,
In which we can find much satisfactions.
All of them we greatly need
Because of their importance indeed.
Somebody wants a captain to be
To sail every ocean and sea.
Somebody wants a traveller to be,
A lot of cities and towns to see.
Someone wants to be a doctor,
Someone may become a prompter.
What do you want to be?
Perhaps, you want to be an engineer
To design new projects there and here.
When I think of what I will be,
It is something that puzzles me.

ІІІ. MAIN PART

1. VOCABULARY WORK

T: Now let’s have a talk about different professions, occupations, places, work etc.

1. Answer the questions:

1. Where does a working person spend a day?
(Students’ answers: at the factory, in the office, on a farm, in the hospital, in the driving seat,
behind the counter, at school, at home, indoors, outdoors, underground, etc)
2. What kind of job can people have?
(a full-time job, a part time job, a temporary job, regular hours, irregular hours, a seasonal
employment, highly- paid, well-paid, not well-paid, work shifts, self-employed etc.)
3. What can the work be like?
( interesting, creative, exciting, satisfying, boring, skilled, unskilled, qualified, dangerous,
funny, etc.)
4. What do some jobs require?
(experience, license, university degree, technical skills, professional knowledge, to wear a
uniform/special clothing etc.)
2. Defining professions
T: Guess the professions by their definitions.

1. A person who plans, designs and builds machines, roads, bridges, harbours, etc. (Engineer)
2. A person who owns or plans the work on a farm. (Farmer)
3. A person who cuts men’s hair and shaves them. (Barber)
4. A person who prepares food. (Cook)
5. A person who is in charge of or helps to run a library. (Librarian)
6. A person whose job is to keep and examine the money accountants of business or people.
(Accountant)
7. A person who is trained to take care of sick, hurt or old people especially as directed by a
doctor in a hospital. (Nurse)
8. A person whose profession is to treat people who are ill. (Doctor)
9. A person whose job is to show a place to tourists. (Guide)
10. A person who flies an aircraft. (Pilot)
11. A person who travels in a spacecraft. (Astronaut)

3. Guessing the job

T: Guess what jobs these people have if they say:

1. I work at the office. I answer letters and answer the telephone.

2. Open your books and start reading, please.
3. I go to court and defend people’s rights.
4. I work in the hospital and take care of sick animals.
5. Black or white coffee, sir?
6. You pay me when you buy something at the store.
7. I’ve got a parcel for Mr. Brown. Does he live here?
8. I help to keep your teeth healthy.
9. When are you going to publish my book at last?
10. I’d better go and put my make-up on. The show starts in five minutes.
4. Definitions
T: Now you will work in groups. Look at the pictures and give definitions of these jobs.
Follow the example.
(E.g. A cook is someone who prepares food.)
2. WATCHING THE FILM
T: Now let’s have a look at some people’s jobs. You’ll watch the extract from the film “All in a
day’s work”.
While watching activity
1. Tick the jobs you will see on the video
cameraman firefighter
pet sitter lawyer
florist fitness instructor
politician estate agent
hotel receptionist surgeon
2. Complete the sentences while watching (the sentences are on the screen).

After watching activity

1. Circle the correct item.
1. A hotel receptionist need to be a) brave
b) caring
c) polite
2. A florist need to be a) accurate
b) imaginative
c) entertaining
3. A cameraman need to be a) creative
b) persuasive
c) understanding
4. A fitness instructor need to know a lot about
a) floral arrangements
b) the human body
c) the latest news
2. Answer the questions:
a) Which of the jobs you have seen do you think:
- requires technical skills (cameraman)?
- requires creativity (florist, cameraman?
- requires an instructor’s license (fitness instructor)?
-sounds exciting (cameraman, florist)?
b) Which of the jobs we have seen would you like to choose and why?
3. SPEAKING
T: Now you will work in groups again. Have a talk about the jobs and qualities needed.
Use the table below to make sentences, as in the example.
JOBS QUALITIES REASONS
politicians brave - give people
information
teachers - make people
confident - believe in them
counsellors - help children
patient to learn things
firefighters - listen to
persuasive people’s
problems
- perform in front
telephone understanding of people
operations
- face
actors polite dangerous
situations
 E.g. Teachers need to be patient because they have to help children to learn things.

T: Talk about more jobs you know and the qualities needed giving reasons.

4. FOLLOW- UP ACTIVITY

T: Now I would like you to match two halves of the proverbs about work.

1. No bees, no honey; a) neither shall he eat.

2. Slow at meat, b) so is the work.
3. He who does not work, c) no work, no money.
4. As is the workman, d) what you can do today.
5. Never put off till tomorrow, e) and master of none.
6. Jack of all trades f) slow at work.
Key: 1-c, 2-f, 3-a, 4-b, 5-d, 6-e.

T: Give Ukrainian equivalents of the following proverbs:

1. Actions speak louder than words. (Не по словах судять,а по ділах.)
2. Doing is better than saying. (Менше говори, більше діла твори.)
3. No sweet without sweat. (Без труда нема плода.)
4. Business before pleasure. (Зробив діло, гуляй сміло.)
5. Through hardships to the stars. (Крізь терни до зірок.)
6. The end crowns the work. (Кінець – ділу вінець.)

5. RELAXATION TIME
T: And now it’s time to have a relaxation pause.
Physical warming-up
T: I will name different words. Among them there will be jobs as well. You have to stand
up when you hear the name of a job. Be attentive!
Words: lesson, teacher, book, school, manager, window, magician, picture, painter,
doctor, photo, lawyer, tiger, estate agent, garden, gardener, shop assistant, etc.
Singing
T: Let’s sing the song “If you are happy” and act it out doing some movements.
Focus on grammar
T: To revise grammar tenses let’s play a ball game. I will throw you the ball and
pronounce the sentence in Present Simple. Your task is to make it in Present
Continuous and throw the ball back.
E.g. They watch TV in the evening. – They are watching TV now.

6. PRESENTATION OF PROJECT WORKS

T: Your home task was to prepare the project ”Professions in my family”. We would like to
know more about the jobs of your parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers, aunts etc. Some
students will present their projects and tell us about professions in their families.
(Students make presentations)
7. READING
GOOD ADVICE
Once a farmer went to the nearest town to sell some butter and eggs there. It didn’t take
him long to sell his goods. After he sold all the butter and eggs, he decided to go to the inn
to have his dinner there.
On coming to the inn, he sat down at the table, called a waiter and ordered his dinner.
Then he looked around and saw a group of people who were speaking about the local
lawyer.
“The lawyer is very clever and always gives good advice to his clients,” said one of the
men. After dinner the farmer went to the lawyer and asked to give him some advice. The
lawyer asked the farmer what advice he needed. “You can give me any advice you like,”
answered the farmer. The lawyer smiled, took a piece of paper, wrote a few words and gave
it to the farmer. The farmer took the paper and without reading it left the lawyer’s office.
Late in the evening the farmer returned home. His wife asked him to gather in the hay.
But the farmer was very tired and was about to go to bed. He didn’t know what to do. Then
he remembered that he had the lawyer’s advice in his pocket. He took the paper out and
read the following words: “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today”.
Then the farmer left the house to gather in the hay. He worked for some hours and at last
the hay was gathered in. At night there was a storm and the farmer was very glad that he
has followed the lawyer’s advice and that his hay was not ruined.

Pre reading tasks

T: Read the title of the text. Can you predict what the text will be about?
Look through the text “Good advice”.
What jobs do you see? Can you find any wise words?

While reading tasks

Are the statements True or False?

1. Once a farmer went to a faraway town to sell fruit and vegetables.
2. It took him much time to sell his goods.
3. The lawyer was very clever.
4. The farmer wanted the lawyer to give him any advice.
5. His wife asked him to milk the cow.
6. The farmer obeyed his wife at once.
7. The lawyer’s advice was: “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today”.
8. At night the weather was fine.
9. The farmer was glad he had followed the lawyer’s advice.

Match the words from column A to those from column B.

A B
1) to go to a) for some hours;
2) to sell b) good advice;
3) to call c) the nearest town;
4) to order d) the hay;
5) to give e) dinner;
6) to gather in f) somebody’s advice;
7) to be g) goods;
8) to work h) tired;
9) to follow i) a waiter.
 After reading tasks

Answer the questions.

1. Why did the farmer go to the town?
2. Where did he go to have his dinner?
3. What did the lawyer give to his clients?
4. When did the farmer return home?
5. Why didn’t the farmer want to work?
6. What did the farmer’s wife ask him to do?
7. What kind of advice did the lawyer give him?
8. How long did the farmer work?
9. Why was the farmer very glad?

T: Do you think the lawyer’s advice was useful to the farmer? Why? Do you sometimes follow
the proverb: “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today”? Give an example from your
own experience.

8. DISCUSSION OF A JOB INTERVIEW

T: Imagine that you are a manager and have to interview somebody who wants to apply for a
position in your company. Let’s discuss what questions you would ask.

Interviewer
(Suggested questions)
1. What’s your name?
2. Could you tell me a bit about your qualification? / What qualification have you got?
3. What position would you like to apply for?
4. Have you got any experience as a …?
5. What skills have you got?
6. Are you fully qualified to use a computer?
7. Are you married?
8. Don’t you mind working overtime?
9. Why do you want to work for our company?
T: Imagine you are a person who applies for a job.

Applicant
(Suggested questions)
1. Could you, please, tell me what the working hours will be? / What hours am I
supposed to work?
2. Is previous experience necessary for this position?
3. Could you tell me what wage / salary I might expect?
4. Do I have to wear a uniform?
5. When could I expect to hear from you?

IV. HOME ASSIGNMENT. SUMMING UP

T: Our lesson is almost over. Your home assignment is to role play the situation “At a job
interview”.
Now, let’s sum up. What was new to you? What useful information did you get from this
lesson? What was difficult? What did you like most of all?
I’m satisfied with your work today. I hope that knowledge received at the lesson will help you
in the future. All of you were perfect so everyone got positive marks. Thank you for the work.