Reading an Essential Skills Work Story
CLB Level:CLB3/Ph3BEssential Skills Focus:
Reading Text
Task: Read a work story to understand the skills required to do the job.
Purpose: Students will
1. read each paragraph
and look for key words
that describe the
essential work skill
2. be able to find and
discuss the essential
works skills in their
past or present jobs.
Materials:
1.The 4 story pages which includes the 9 questions
2.Dictionary
Learning Style: Visual
Time: 45 minutes / Method:
1. Access prior experience and knowledge
of students by asking them what kinds
of jobs they have done in the past or
present. Encourage students to specify
their duties.
Example: I made coleslaw in the fried
Chicken fast food restaurant.
I followed the company’s
recipe and had to measure oil,
vinegar and sugar to make the
coleslaw dressing.
Teacher can ask what work skill is
required to follow a recipe.
2. Tell students that they will be reading
a work skills story and are to look for
“key words” that describe the work
skills in the auto repair shop.
3. Teacher reads each skill section.
4. Asks students to highlight the words
that they do not understand. Teacher
and students use dictionary to explain
word meanings.
5. Teacher asks students to circle “key words”
that describe the work skill of each paragraph.
Debrief:
a) Language Component:
1. What skill did you learn today?
2. Did you read a story to learn about
people’s occupations when you were
deciding on a career?
3. Where can you find information about
different jobs?
4. Have you been in an “apprentice” program?
b) Transfer
1. What research do you do when deciding
what career to choose?
2. Have you gone into workplaces and
asked the workers exactly what skills they
need to know to do their jobs?
3. Have you used the Government Job Bank
to research the required skills in the
workplace?
4. Why is it important to know what work
skills are needed to be a good worker?
Follow Up:
1. Ask students to bring in a “work story”
from the newspaper or a magazine. Discuss the
work skills needed in the jobs.
A good example would be the stories from the
McDonald’s restaurant website.
2. A computer activity:
Looking for a job in the Job Bank Website
will show required essential works for each job.
A Day at Carl’s Car and Truck Repair Shop
An Essential Skills Work Story
1. Document Use
It was a busy Monday morning at Carl’s Car and Truck Repair Shop. Bob, one of Carl’s employees was looking at the electrical system in a 2005 green Ford. The car had red, blue, green, black and yellow wires supplying power to all the automatic systems. Jimmy, the electrical mechanic had just taken the wires apart when he received a phone call that his wife was having their baby. He had to rush home to take his wife to the hospital. Bob was left to fix the car. He decided that he would have to take a look at the electrical manual for this car before he tried to fix it.
2. Continuous Learning
After Bob read the electrical manual he decided that he needed to learn more about it. He wasn’t sure which part to put into the starter so that the electric current would run through the main feeder wires. He went to Murray, an older mechanic who had lots of electrical repair experience. Murray knew everything about new and old cars. Murray showed Bob that part A was very different from part B. If Bob had put part A into the Ford, it would have blown many fuses and the car wouldn’t have started. Bob was very happy that he had asked Murray for help. Bob decided that he needed to take a training course on the electrical systems of the newer cars.
3. Reading Text
In the next stall a customer’s car was being towed.
It was a mess! Murray was reading the Work Order for the car. He was also reading the customer’s letter that accompanied it. The letter read:
“Dear Murray, I have had a very bad day. As I was pulling out of my driveway, a boy who was walking by my house, threw a rock at my windshield and cracked the glass. He ran away. I could not catch him. As I drove down the street my radiator started steaming. I managed to get to work on time. When I finished my work and came out to my car, I discovered that someone had rammed into the driver’s door and smashed it in. I could not open it. When I got into my car through the passenger door, I noticed that my tire had gone flat. I had to call your shop to get my car towed in for repair. Please fix my car as soon as possible. I hate taking the bus to work.” signed Mr. Grumpy.
4. Writing
Murray read the Work Order that was written by Harold. Harold was a new mechanic. He was very forgetful. Today Harold forgot to write the exact car part that was needed to repair Mr. Grumpy’s radiator. Murray had to talk to Harold and ask him to look in the car parts catalogue and write the specific number on the Work Order.
5. Numeracy
Meanwhile, in the office, George, the Office Manager was having a very bad day. He had made a mistake when he was scheduling the appointment book. The customer’s appointments were all messed up! He had double-booked several people at the same time. Now there were too many cars and not enough car stalls to service them! What a mess! The phones were ringing and the customers were complaining. He needed help right away!
6. Oral Communications
Bob just finished fixing the 2005 green Ford when he heard the people yelling at George. Bob picked one of the phones. The call was from a very angry and upset man. He started yelling and screaming at Bob. The man had a flat tire and was trying to fix it by himself. The man was all thumbs and could not do it. He complained that he had hurt himself with the wrench. Bob decided that he had to talk very carefully with this angry man. He told the man that he would send someone to pick up his car and fix the tire right away. Bob asked the man if he was bleeding. The angry man said “no” and started to calm down.
7. Working with Others
Arnold was another mechanic in Carl’s shop. He was looking at a 2001 Grey Camaro but wasn’t sure what was wrong with it. He decided that he would ask Nadiya what to do. Nadiya was always writing very good repair reports.
Arnold knew that she would help him.
8. Computer Use
Mary, the secretary was at her desk when Mr. Blackwell came in. His car was making the same sound it made 3 years ago but he couldn’t remember what the problem was or who fixed it. Mary asked Mr. Blackwell for his telephone number and then typed it into the computer.
A minute later Mr. Blackwell’s car history popped up. Mary told Mr. Blackwell that it was his water pump and that one of the mechanics could fix it later today.
9. Thinking Skills
Tom, the truck driver was on the other line when Bob picked up the phone. Tom told Bob that his 18 wheeler was making a terrible sound like “Rata-ta-tat”.”I’ve never heard this sound before and now I am worried” said Tom. Bob replied, “Let’s put our heads together and think this through.” The two men talked and discussed the truck’s history and decided that it was the cooling system.
Write the 9 work skills in this story with examples.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
WinnipegSchool Division Adult EAL Program Essential Skill Focus: Writing
Author: Maria Stevenson CLB level: 2 & 3