Reading for Life Lessons

Minnesota ABE Supplemental Services, Linda Strand, 2004-2005

And the Minnesota Literacy Council

Focus: Job Ads (Reading for Life, volume 1, unit 2: Ads: Job, Product and Housing)

Objectives: Learners will be able to interpret information regarding skills and experience required, wages and benefits and application procedure

Key Vocabulary: employee, employer, wages, minimum wage, salary, require, interview, entry level, train, qualifications, benefits, application, experience, shift, insurance, assembly line, references, full time, part time (abbreviations of these words are especially important)

Topics to Review: different types of jobs

Materials: classified ads, job advertisements from newspapers

Procedure:

Real-life application: Ask students about their jobs to assess knowledge of the above vocabulary. Do your students work full time or part time? What skills and experience are needed for their jobs? Do they do shift work? Are there benefits? Make a list of vocabulary on the board and add new, relevant vocabulary

 Bring in the classified ads sections of some newspapers. Have learners find the jobs section of the classifieds. T asks: “Is the job ad part divided. How is it divided? Is there an index? How can you find jobs in which you are interested?”

Students look at the job ads. T asks: “Are all the words in the ad written out completely?” “Who can tell me what some of the abbreviations mean?” Match abbreviations with the vocabulary on the board.

Students find a job they are interested in and rewrite it, spelling out any abbreviations. Discuss with students: “Why did you choose that job? What skills and experience are needed? Do you qualify? How can you apply for it?”

Progress to Reading for Life, v.1 competency worksheets: Applicable worksheets: RFL v.1, pages 21, 22 and 23

Progress to multiple-choice format activities:

Worksheet for Page 22

Worksheet for Page 23

Stand Alone Worksheet

Extensions:

• See Daily Living Activities on page 20 of Reading for Life v. 1
• To practice the past tense, ask students to make a list of jobs they had before and what they did in those jobs.  Based on past jobs, have them write a list of skills and experience that they can bring to a new job.
• Do the Using Employment Ads to Create Lessons activity in the Tutor Tip Archive on the MLC website http://www.themlc.org/Reading2.html