84 UnIt 7
4
JIM STEVENS
@JimS
Great tips in this article about how to be more productive without getting exhausted.
ReAd ABoUt good woRk HABIts
UNIT 7 T-84
LESSON 4 READ ABOUT GOOD WORK HABITS
Choose a warm-up activity from the Warm-Up Activity Bank on page xxii.
• Read the lesson title aloud. Ask, What is one good work habit you have? Elicit four to five answers and write them on the board. Then ask, Does anyone do the opposite of any of these things? Encourage Ss to answer in complete sentences. (For example, Jack never leaves things until the last minute, but I’m most creative when I work under pressure.)
• Read the social media message aloud. Elicit the meaning of the word productive. (working hard and achieving a lot) Ask, What are some things that make it hard for you to be productive? Invite Ss to share specific examples. (for example, technology, social media, personality conflicts, hunger)
1 BEFORE YOU READ
• Read the question aloud. Ask a S to read the example.
In pairs, have Ss discuss other steps they take in order to stay focused at work.
• Bring the class together and have Ss share. (For example, I shut off my phone; I give myself time limits for finishing each task.)
• Have Ss preview the words and definitions silently.
• Have Ss listen. Then have them listen and repeat.
• For lower-level Ss, provide example sentences for words they are not familiar with: Henri gets things done at least a day before a deadline. My husband is most productive in the morning. If work piles up, I talk
to my supervisor about getting someone to help me.
My roommate sometimes catches up on office work on the weekend. We dread meetings with our boss because he’s very intimidating. I focus the best after an intense work out. I got a notification after my friend commented on my blog post. I get easily distracted by text messages and social media.
LANGUAGE NOTE The word notification is not limited to technology or social media. A notification can be any official written or printed notice
about something.
2 READ
• Have Ss preview the title, subtitles, and photos. Then ask them to predict which work habits the text might cover. Call on Ss to write ideas on the board. (For example, work quickly and efficiently; meet deadlines;
ask for help and advice when it’s needed)
• Have Ss listen and read.
OPTION Have Ss skim the article and underline the vocabulary from 1B. Then have them listen again.
(deadline, line 2; productive, line 3; pile up, line 17;
catch up, line 17; dread, line 25; focus, line 25;
notification, line 26; distracted, line 28)
www.frenglish.ru
3 CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
What is the main idea of the post? Circle the correct answer.
a. No one really knows how we can increase productivity.
b. There are many different strategies for increasing productivity.
c. The author is confused about how to improve her performance.
Who probably said it? Write T (Tarek), S (Siguri), (K) Kim, or (V) Vinod in the blanks.
1. “Your deadline is when? Oh no! Put on some good music and let’s get it done!
2. “I’m going back to my office so I can think in peace and quiet.”
3. “I’m glad I finished that. Now I can start on the more interesting stuff.”
4. “This meeting won’t take long.”
5. “I finished eight of the ten things on my list today.”
6. “Check out this video. It’s so cute!”
FOCUS ON LANGUAGE Reread lines 16–25 in the blog post. Think about the phrases on top of and out of the way. Circle the correct answers.
1. The expression on top of means .
a. above b. in control of c. not knowing about 2. The expression out of the way means .
a. finished b. hidden c. done by somebody else Read the Reading Skill. Which of these ideas do the
people discuss? Circle three answers.
a. ways to use time efficiently b. ways to become more confident c. ways to increase focus
d. ways to keep a work-life balance e. ways to be more creative
PAIRS For each of the ideas in 3D, what advice did the blog post provide?
The post offers advice about…
4 MAKE IT PERSONAL
Think about how you work or study. Do you think any of the suggestions in the post would work for you? Take some notes in the chart.
What would help me Why
What would not help me Why
PAIRS Discuss your answers in 4A.
The idea about plants is very interesting. It would help me because I always feel relaxed in a garden.
READING SKILL Synthesize information
When you synthesize information, you read details from different sources and group similar ideas together. Look for parts of the text that say the same thing in different ways and try to figure out what all of these ideas have in common.
Look online for more ideas about how to increase productivity in the workplace. Which ones do you think would be the most successful? Why?
UnIt 7 85 I cAn ReAd ABoUt good woRk HABIts.
UNIT 7 T-85
3 CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
• Have Ss do the exercise individually. Encourage Ss to find and underline proof in the text that supports the correct answer. (lines 4–6)
• Bring the class together and call on a S for the answer.
• Have Ss do the exercise individually.
• Ask Ss to compare answers with a partner.
• Go over the answers as a class. If Ss disagree on any answers, elicit from them the line numbers in the text that support the correct answer. (1. lines 18–21;
2. lines 38–39; 3. lines 23–25; 4. lines 13–14;
5. lines 11–12; 6. lines 30–32)
TEACHING TIP You may want to review the Listening Skill on drawing inferences from Unit 4, page 47. An inference is a conclusion based on information that is not stated directly, but the listener can guess it from context.
• Have Ss locate the expressions and circle them in the text.
• Go over the answers as a class. Invite Ss to give other examples of the phrases. (For example, Gina has three children and a full-time job, so she has to try hard to stay on top of all her responsibilities. I usually get exercise out of the way first thing in the morning before I do everything else.)
• Read the title of the Reading Skill aloud. Write synthesize on the board. Explain that to synthesize means to make something new by combining pieces or parts from different things. When a writer synthesizes information, he or she combines information from different sources to make a strong point. Read the reading skill aloud. Then say, In the article “Good Work Habits,” the author synthesizes advice on good work habits from four different people.
• Have Ss complete the exercise.
• Bring the class together to go over the answers.
• Circulate and assist as needed. Refer Ss to individual sections if they get stuck: ways to use time efficiently (Tarek, Siguri); ways to use music at work (Siguri); ways to increase focus (Kim, Vinod); ways to decorate your office (Vinod); ways to increase energy (Kim); ways to be more creative (Siguri, Vinod).
4 MAKE IT PERSONAL
• Have Ss work individually to fill in the chart. Remind Ss that they do not need to write complete sentences.
Encourage them to include at least two suggestions that would help them and two that would not. Higher- level Ss can fill in additional suggestions.
• Read the example aloud. In pairs, have Ss discuss the advice they think would and would not work for them.
Invite Ss to respond to their partner’s answers. (For example, That suggestion would work for me, too. / That suggestion wouldn’t help me because...)
• Bring the class together and call on pairs to share ways that their work habits are similar. Encourage them to offer details and examples.
EXTENSION Have Ss return to Jim’s social media message. Say, Now that you have read the article, too, say which piece of advice you found the most interesting and worth trying. Invite Ss to write
responses on the board. (For example, I love the idea of the standing meetings! So much time is wasted by sitting around!)
EXIT TICKET On the board, write, Synthesize information from the article, your experience, and other sources to make a list of four good work habits.
Have Ss write their names and answers on a blank card or piece of paper and write their advice. Collect the cards as Ss leave. Read the cards to identify areas for review in later lessons.
www.frenglish.ru
3 CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
What is the main idea of the post? Circle the correct answer.
a. No one really knows how we can increase productivity.
b. There are many different strategies for increasing productivity.
c. The author is confused about how to improve her performance.
Who probably said it? Write T (Tarek), S (Siguri), (K) Kim, or (V) Vinod in the blanks.
1. “Your deadline is when? Oh no! Put on some good music and let’s get it done!
2. “I’m going back to my office so I can think in peace and quiet.”
3. “I’m glad I finished that. Now I can start on the more interesting stuff.”
4. “This meeting won’t take long.”
5. “I finished eight of the ten things on my list today.”
6. “Check out this video. It’s so cute!”
FOCUS ON LANGUAGE Reread lines 16–25 in the blog post. Think about the phrases on top of and out of the way. Circle the correct answers.
1. The expression on top of means .
a. above b. in control of c. not knowing about 2. The expression out of the way means .
a. finished b. hidden c. done by somebody else Read the Reading Skill. Which of these ideas do the
people discuss? Circle three answers.
a. ways to use time efficiently b. ways to become more confident c. ways to increase focus
d. ways to keep a work-life balance e. ways to be more creative
PAIRS For each of the ideas in 3D, what advice did the blog post provide?
The post offers advice about…
4 MAKE IT PERSONAL
Think about how you work or study. Do you think any of the suggestions in the post would work for you? Take some notes in the chart.
What would help me Why
What would not help me Why
PAIRS Discuss your answers in 4A.
The idea about plants is very interesting. It would help me because I always feel relaxed in a garden.
READING SKILL Synthesize information
When you synthesize information, you read details from different sources and group similar ideas together. Look for parts of the text that say the same thing in different ways and try to figure out what all of these ideas have in common.
Look online for more ideas about how to increase productivity in the workplace. Which ones do you think would be the most successful? Why?
UnIt 7 85 I cAn ReAd ABoUt good woRk HABIts.
S V K T T K
www.frenglish.ru
Jim Both Jim’s friend
1 BEFORE YOU WRITE
What are some things that help you learn a new skill?
Read Jim’s post. What ways of learning does he talk about?
Read the post again. Complete the chart.
• learns by instructions
• also learns by
• does not
• learns by
• try to before Jim Stevens
Copywriter, TSW Media
People learn in many different ways. Some of us are really good at reading written instructions; others prefer to look at pictures. Some people learn by watching other people do something fi rst, while others learn by doing things themselves.
In my case, I need time to read and concentrate before I learn something new. Then I like to teach it to someone else right away. In this way, I gain a deeper understanding of the new skill. For example, I recently learned how to use a new computer program. Then I taught a co-worker how to use the program. After I taught my co-worker, I felt like I really understood the program. I no longer needed to check the written instructions.
In contrast, I have a friend who never reads written instructions. Instead, she prefers to watch videos online. Once, she watched a video about how to fi x her laptop computer, and then she changed all the hardware in her laptop—
all without reading anything! She is really good at fi guring things out on her own, and she will always try to fi nd solutions before she asks for help. That’s one thing we have in common.
How do you learn? I’d love to hear your stories.