Open Mind Elementary
Additional LifeSkills Lesson
Unit 7  Study and Learning:
working as a group to complete a task
Objective: to provide further practice of this soft skill
within the area of Study and Learning (organising a
presentation and welcome session for new students).
The three-step strategy for developing this soft skill is:
Step 1 Break up the big task into smaller tasks and
make a list. (Ex. A, Ex. B)
Step 2 Identify what the group can do together
and what each person can do individually.
(Ex. C, Ex. D)
Step 3 Negotiate who can do any remaining tasks.
Be flexible! (Ex. E)
You may decide to highlight this strategy at the
beginning of the lesson, at the end, or as you go
through the exercises in the section. However, if you
prefer to teach this lesson without discussing the
underlying soft skill, this is also possible. The lesson is
designed to be engaging and successful either way.
For more information about teaching life skills and ideas
for highlighting the soft skill, please refer to pp. 71–72
of the Elementary Teacher’s Book.
Materials:
• board and markers
Lead-in
To set the context for this lesson, write the following
questions on the board:
How often do you work in a group at school
or university?
Do you like working in a group? Why or why not?
What kind of tasks do you do in groups?
Do you find it easy or difficult to work in a group?
Put the students into pairs to ask and answer the
questions. Elicit some answers from the class. Ask the
students why it is important to be able to work in a
group and what the advantages are of working in a
group.
If you wish, ask the students to recall the lesson from the
Elementary Student’s Book, pp. 88–89 and say what they
learnt (e.g. that some tasks can be done by the whole
group and others by individuals; that breaking down a
big task into smaller tasks makes it easier to manage).
© Macmillan Publishers Limited 2014
A
Erase the board and write the following:
•
Please prepare a welcome morning for new
students. Can you organise a programme of events
from 9am to 12pm? Start with morning coffee and
include a short presentation about the school. Can
you then give a tour of the school and finish with a
picnic lunch on the school field (the school can give
you the money to buy food and drinks)?
• Read the situation with the students and check
they understand all the vocabulary. Tell them this is
an email from their teacher. Put them into groups
of four or five and ask them to quickly note down
the main events that they have to organise. Elicit
answers from the class.
Answers
Organise morning coffee
Prepare a presentation about the school
Plan a tour of the school
Organise a picnic lunch
B
• Ask the students to stay in their groups. Encourage
them to look at each event and to discuss and
write down the different tasks that need to be done
to organise that event. If necessary, do the first
one (morning coffee) with the class as an example.
Monitor and help out with vocabulary as necessary.
• Elicit ideas from the class and write a list of tasks
on the board. Elicit any other tasks that might be
necessary and make sure all the tasks below are
included on the list. Invite the groups to add any
tasks from the list on the board to their own list as
necessary. Make sure the students understand all
the tasks on the list.
Possible answers
Buy coffee, milk and sugar
Get cups and spoons from the school kitchen
Write a presentation about the school
Get an interactive whiteboard for the
presentation from the school office
Make ‘Welcome’ posters and direction signs
Plan the places to show students on the tour
Buy food, drinks and other items for the
picnic lunch
Make the picnic lunch
Get chairs for the presentation
Make name badges
Open Mind Elementary
C E
• Ask the students to stay in the same groups.
Tell them they are now going to decide which
tasks can be done by the whole group and write
G (group) next to those tasks. Point out there is
no right or wrong answer here.
• Elicit ideas from the class and encourage them
to give reasons for their decisions. Discuss any
differences of opinion.
D • Erase the board and write on it the following
statements.
• I am good at writing.
• I am good at planning and organising.
• I am good at drawing and designing things.
• I am good at managing money.
• I am good at cooking.
• I am good at talking to people.
• I prefer to work alone.
• I prefer to work with other people.
• Tell the students that before they assign the
remaining tasks, they need to look at their
individual abilities and preferences. Ask them
to work alone to write the statements from the
board that apply to them in their notebooks.
© Macmillan Publishers Limited 2014
• Encourage the groups to discuss and decide who
will do the remaining tasks in Ex. B. Erase the
board and write the following How to say it box:
HOW TO SAY IT
I’m good at … so I can …
What can you do? / Can you …?
I can’t …, but maybe you can.
I can … and so can you, so let’s work together.
Who can …?
• Drill the phrases, then ask the groups to discuss
and assign the remaining tasks. Allow five to ten
minutes for this.
• Invite groups to tell you their decision.
reflect
• Write the following statement on the board:
Breaking a large task into smaller parts can also
help you when you are working alone.
• Give the students time to reflect on the
statement. Elicit suggestions about when this
might be true (e.g. when revising for a test,
when doing a big project for homework).
eXtra: HOMeWOrK
Ask the students to write some tips about working as
a group and to bring them to the next class.