Job Skills: The Expert Game Writing Communication & Social Skills
At a Glance Students will: ü learn new vocabulary ü determine/write skills, abilities, interests ü practise speaking skills in discussions, explaining and questioning		Purpose: Preparation for determining skills/writing resumes Materials: Double-sided copies of the hand-out. Preparation: 5 minutes Time: approx. 90 minutes
Teacher’s Notes	Procedure 1. Introduce vocabulary and elicit definitions: a) expert b) jack of all trades - provide a personal example c) hobbies ü Ask individuals if they are jacks of all trades. Ask what they've studied, what they're interested in, what are their hobbies? 2. Tell students to think of five things they're interested in. ü Remind students that these things should be varied ("Playing soccer, playing tennis, and swimming are all one category: sports.) ü At this point, you may want to do a brief grammatical review on the use of gerunds to describe activities. 3. Pass out the copies. As the students are writing, circulate and check for correct grammar. Encourage variety on the responses. ü Tell students to turn the paper over. They should choose three of these things to rewrite on the other side. They are going to be the classroom expert on these three things. Instruct them to fold their papers in half so that the papers can stand up on their desks 4. Now divide the class into A’s and B’s. Tell students that A’s will be the first group of classroom experts. B’s will be the first group of questioners. A’s will remain at their desks. B’s will circulate. ü Instruct all the B’s to put their papers aside and stand up. Ask them to arrange the desks so that every student who is still sitting has a desk directly facing him/her. Tell the B’s to wander around and sit down in front of an A. ü They should read A’s topics and ask about something they're interested in. ü If the class is an uneven number, you (or your aide) can play too. Otherwise, join different pairs and monitor. ü After about 5-7 minutes call "Change!" The B’s stand up again, circulate, and choose a new partner for conversation. ü Halfway through the time for your lesson, the B’s sit down with their sheets. They are now the classroom experts. The A’s get up and circulate, asking questions of the B’s. 5. Allow 3-5 minutes at the end of class for synthesis. Bring the class back together. Call on individual students to report on what they've learned.

Writing Job Skills: The Expert Game Communication & Social Skills
Teacher’s Notes	Lesson Extension 1. Example: “Jack of all trades” Example: "My brother really is a jack of all trades. He's interested in a lot of different things. He knows a lot about a lot of different things. For example, he went to university for nuclear engineering, so he knows a lot about science. He worked for the government as an engineer. Later, he got an MBA, so he knows a lot about business. He's certified to scuba dive, and has thought about opening his own diving shop. He likes to ski. He can cook. He makes a lot of different types of food. He can fix things in the house when they break. Also, he likes to travel, and he's been to more than 40 different countries, and he really enjoys history. So there's a lot of different things my brother is good at.” By now, the students understand what the expression means (and the women are asking whether or not my brother is single). 2. Gerunds: you can find ideas for teaching gerunds in any of the grammar resources books listed in side bar 3. Questions: Review and practise intonation of appropriate questions, question structures. (see questions lesson in Pronunciation appendix) (I see you like to....Can you tell me about..? How long have you...? Where did you learn to...? Could you fix my..? Do you ...in Canada? Who taught you to..?) Follow-up / Transfer Activities: 1. Encourage students to continue their conversations outside of class with each other, friends and family. Concentrate on question formation and intonation. 2. Write about one of the areas of expertise. 3. Write about what you learned about another person. 4. Teach self-analysis of skills and abilities for job search/resume writing. 5. Teach alternate vocabulary for skills eg: cook = prepare (food)	Additional Resources Working Skills for Immigrant Women, Florence Guy, 1990 Looking for Work in Canada, Strategies for New Canadians, Human Resources and Labour Canada, 1994 Let’s get on with the Job, A Job Search Manual for the ESL Classroom, Rae Pinton, Irene Strong, 1984 Fundamentals of English Grammar, Betty Azar, 1992 More Grammar Games, Mario Rinvolucri, Paul Davis, 1995 Clear Speech, Judy Gilbert English and AutoCAD (Job Search Skills section), ALT Branch, 1997