Jodi Petersen

Ling 631
LESSON PLAN – Giving and asking for advice about the workplace

I. Basic Information on Student Group

This lesson is for an adult community class. The class has about 15 students enrolled, but about
10 attend regularly. Often, students cannot come because of work or family obligations.
Transportation is sometimes an issue as well. The average student age is 35; however, ages range
from 20 to 55. The majority of students is Hispanic, with a few Brazilian students, a Haitian
student, and a Mongolian student. According to ACTFL standards, these students would be
considered Intermediate Mid. All of these students have been living in the United States for at
least a year, but have had little formal training in English. A few students have attended other
community programs, but for many this is their first time studying English in a traditional
classroom. However, they are all literate and have had educational experiences in their own
countries. These students have learned English through their interactions with native and
nonnative speakers in the United States. Their desire to continue to learn English is to better
integrate themselves into the community. Many have children who go to mainstream schools and
they want to be able to communicate better with those around them and perform better in their
respective jobs and communities. The objectives of this course are focused mostly on listening
and speaking in social contexts.

II. Limitations of the Class Situation

The class meets in the evening from 4 to 5pm Monday through Thursday. This lesson is designed
to last for the duration of the class period. Students will need basic literacy skills to complete the
worksheets provided by the teacher. Previous to this lesson, the students had been working on
job applications and interviewing skills where the grammar focus was on questions.

III. Topic/Content of the lesson

The topic of this lesson is giving and asking for advice about the workplace. According to
ACTFL standards, speakers at the Intermediate Mid sublevel are able to handle successfully a
variety of uncomplicated communicative tasks in straightforward social situations. Intermediate
Mid speakers are able to express personal meaning by creating with the language, in part by
combining and recombining known elements and conversational input to produce responses
typically consisting of sentences and strings of sentences. They are also able to respond
reactively to simple questions and requests.

IV. Performance Objective(s) for the Lesson

Students will demonstrate their knowledge and ability to use modals of advice (should, must,
have to) by giving and asking for advice in given situations regarding workplace behavior.
Students will show they have accomplished this when they can respond to a situation with a
minimum of four sentences with less than one modal use or meaning error.

V. Materials used
This lesson makes use of a worksheet on modals of advice and the article “10 Things You
Shouldn’t Say at Work”.
VI. Procedure for the Lesson

A. Introduction
Class begins with the teacher asking the students about jobs they have had. This is
followed up with jobs that they have specifically had in the United States. The teacher
asks about differences students have noted about working in the U.S. as opposed to
working in their country. Students discuss with a partner and then as a class. This
warm-up is meant to last about 5-8 minutes.

B. Instructional Sequence
Teacher Focus
Present (5 minutes)
The teacher will present the modals “should”,
“must”, and “have to” in a table via
PowerPoint Presentation.
Practice (10 minutes)
Reading: The teacher presents the article “10
Things You Shouldn’t Say at Work”. The
teacher explains that there are certain things
that should not be said in the workplace. T
gives the students 10 minutes to read the
article and talk about the discussion questions
with a partner.
Practice (20 minutes)
Worksheet: The teacher instructs the students
to answer the questions on the worksheet that
has been passed out. T reads the instructions
to the students and they answer the first
problem as a class. After an appropriate
amount of time, the teacher will move onto the
next exercise to go over the instructions and
answer an example problem.
Perform (15 minutes)
Situational presentations: T passes out a
unique work-related situation to each student.
T tells students to pretend like they are giving
advice to a co-worker with that problem and to
think of at least four suggestions using should,
must, or have to.
Student Focus
The students will follow along with the chart
on their worksheet.
Students will read the article and underline
instances of modals used to give advice. They
will also talk about the discussion questions
with a partner.
The first exercise requires that students rewrite
sentences using should to give advice about a
work-related problem. Then they will
complete a cloze exercise for must and have
to. Finally, students will look at work-related
advice and decide if it is good or bad. With a
partner, they will ask if they should do one of
the things listed, to which their partner replies
with should or shouldn’t.
Students will have a few minutes to write
down their sentences or notes for their
sentences. They will then each have a turn to
share their advice with the class.

B. Evaluation of students
Students will be presented with a work-related situation where they will be asked to
give a co-worker some advice. They will need to think of at least four sentences using
the modals “should”, “must” or “have to” and present them to the class. They will be
given time to write down their sentences before presenting them without modal use or
meaning flaws.
 C. Reinforcement/ Follow-up activities
For homework, students can complete the final portion of the worksheet, Practice 4:
Rewriting sentences with should, must, or have to.
VII. What will come after this lesson?
Following this, the teacher will present the past tense aspect so students will be able to describe
past work experience.
VIII. Appendices
 Article “10 Things You Shouldn’t Say at Work”
10 things you
shouldn't say at
work
Avoiding these phrases will help you
in your career.
1 Dr. Travis Bradberry, the co-founder of the
testing and training company TalentSmart, said
that weak remarks and words can damage
careers.
2 "There are certain phrases that instantly
change the way people see you," Dr. Bradberry
said in a LinkedIn article. But avoiding these
phrases is more difficult than you think. The 10
career killers you shouldn't say at the office are:
3 "It’s not fair"
Everyone knows that life isn't fair. Saying "it's
not fair" suggests that you think life should be
fair, which makes you look immature and naive.
4 “No problem”2
When someone asks you to do something or
thanks you for doing something, and you tell
them "no problem", it suggests that their request
should normally be a problem. Instead, you
should show people that you're happy to do your
job. Say something like "It was my pleasure" or
"I'll be happy to take care of that."
5 “I think/This may be a silly idea…”3
These passive phrases instantly make you
sound less credible. Even if you have a great
idea, they suggest that you don't have much
confidence. So try to avoid them. And, if you
really don't know something, say, "I don't have
that information right now, but I'll find out."
6 “This will only take a minute”4
If you say that something only takes a minute,
people will think that you rush your tasks. If
you're literally not going to complete the task in
60 seconds, then say that it `won't take long'.
7 “ I’ll try”5
Just like the word `think', `try' sounds weak and
suggests that you don't have much confidence.
Be confident in your capabilities. If you're asked
to do something, either say you will do it or offer
to do something different. But don't say that
you'll try because it sounds like you won't try
very hard.
8 “He’s lazy/a jerk”6
You shouldn't make negative remarks about a
colleague. If your remark is true, everybody
already knows it, so you don't need to say it.
There will always be rude or incompetent people
in any workplace, and everyone probably knows
who they are. If you can't help them work better
or fire them, then bad-mouthing them will only
make you look bad.
9 “That’s not in my job description”7
If you use this phrase, your boss will think that
you are only interested in doing the minimum
amount of work required. If your boss asks you
to do something that you feel is inappropriate for
your position, you should complete the task.
Later, schedule a conversation with your boss to
discuss your role in the company and whether
your job description needs an update.
10 “It’s not my fault”
It's never a good idea to blame other people. If
something went wrong, explain what happened
in an objective way and let your boss and
colleagues decide who is responsible. When you
start pointing fingers, you will make people
nervous. Some people will avoid working with
you, and others will blame you first when
something goes wrong.
11 “I can’t”
People don't like to hear "I can't" because they
think it means that you don't want to do some-
thing. If you really can't do something because
you don't have the necessary skills, you need to
offer a different solution. For example, instead of
saying "I can't stay late tonight," say "I can come
in early tomorrow morning. Will that work?"
12 “I hate this job” 2. Which phrase makes you look negative?
The last thing anyone wants to hear at work is 3. Which phrase makes you look lazy?
someone complaining about how much they 4. Which phrase makes you look like you do
hate their job. This is bad for the morale of the things too quickly and without taking care?
group and you will look like a negative person. 5. Which phrase makes other people not want to
Adapted from The Independent, by Zlata Rodi- work with you?
onova, 14 October 2015 6. Which phrase should you avoid if somebody
says `Thank you'?
Answer the questions below. 7. Which three phrases show that you are not
1. Which phrase makes other people nervous? ready or happy to do your tasks?

 Worksheet: Modals and Career Advice

Grammar practice 1
Rewrite the sentences using `should' or `shouldn't':
1. It's a bad idea to be late for work every day.
You shouldn’t be late for work every day.
2. It's a good idea to drink some coffee at work if you are sleepy.
....................................................................................
...
3. It's a good idea to take a break from time to time.
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...
4. It's a bad idea to go to work if you have the flu.
....................................................................................
...
5. It's very cold today. It’s a good idea to turn up the heat in the office.
It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6. Is it a good idea for me to arrive at work before 9am?

...................................................................................?
7. I expect that the boss is in his office right now.
The boss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
..
8. I expect that the letter will arrive before Thursday.
The letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
..
9. It's a good idea to wear nice clothes for your job interview.
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...
Practice 2 - Must or have to

Claire is a architect. She has just started her new job. Complete the sentences below using must
or have to in the correct form, positive or negative.
1. She has to work 8 hours every day.
2. She ________smoke at work. The building is a non-smoking area.
3. She ________ wear very formal clothes. The office has a relaxed dress code.
4. She ________ wear a hard hat when visiting a building site, according to safety regulations.
5. She ________ meet clients every day. Her work involves a lot of meetings.
6. She ________ work hard if she wants a promotion. Her boss is very demanding.
7. She ________ get up early every day. She can work flexible hours.
8. She ________ park her car near the building entrance. That space is reserved for the director.

Grammar practice 3
Complete the table below. Decide if each piece of career advice is a good or bad idea.

Now work in pairs. Ask and answer questions about the table below like in the example.
"Should I focus only on my salary?" / "No, you shouldn't"
Homework/Extension Activity:
Rewrite each sentence using an appropriate modal verb from the charts. More than one answer
may be possible.
1. It is very important that you do not forget to call me tomorrow.
You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
..
2. It is not necessary for them to wait for me.
They . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
..
3. It is obligatory for us to check out of the hotel before midday.
We . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
...
4. It is a good idea for him to study hard if he wants to pass his exam.
He . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
...
5. I feel it is very important that you try to go to bed early tonight.
You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
..
6. It isn't a good idea to believe everything you read on the internet.
You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
..
7. It is obligatory to drive on the left side of the road in the UK.
You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
..
8. It is forbidden to cross the border without a passport.
You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
..
9. It is not necessary for his present to be expensive.
His present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
..