Lesson plan

People work
Topic
Jobs

Aims
To practise:
vocabulary: jobs (and job descriptions)
structure: present simple 3rd person
skills: integrated skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing)

Age group
Primary

Level
A1/A2

Time
90 minutes approximately

Materials
Please note: to access the downloadable worksheets, you need to log in separately to LearnEnglish Kids.
1. Song: People work
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/songs/people-work
2. Flashcards
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/worksheets/jobs-flashcards
3. Story, activity sheet, answers and transcript: What will I be when I grow up?
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/short-stories/what-will-i-be-when-i-grow-up
4. Game: Job mixer
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/fun-games/job-mixer
5. Quiz: Jobs
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/play-with-friends/quiz-jobs
6. Your turn: Jobs
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/your-turn/jobs
7. Pelmanism cards: per pair, prepare 8 mini cards of the jobs and 8 mini cards with the sentences from
the activity sheet part 3, but without the job word, i.e. A makes and fixes clothes. etc (stage 5)
For a complete list of all Jobs content on LearnEnglish Kids, click here:
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/category/topics/jobs

Lesson plan
Introduction
In this lesson, students will be introduced to the popular song People work. They will listen to the song,
complete comprehension activities, practise the jobs and job descriptions in the song, and sing the song.
Finally students can do some extension work based on the song, talking and writing about the job they
would like to do when they grow up.

Procedure
1. Introduce the
topic (5 mins)

Introduce the topic of jobs. Ask students if you are a student then elicit what you
really are (a teacher). Ask students if everybody is a teacher, or if their mums/dads
are teachers, and see what jobs they can come up with.

2. First listening
of the song and
introduction of
vocab (10 mins)

Tell students they are going to watch and listen to a song about lots of different jobs.
Play the song. Students complete part 1 of the activity sheet: number the pictures of
the jobs in order.
Play the song again and check answers. Pause the song after each verse (i.e. after
two jobs) and show students the flashcards for those jobs. Elicit or say the jobs,
students repeat.

3. Focus on
vocabulary (5-10
mins)

Go through the flashcards and get students to tell you the jobs.
Play a flashcard game: hide a flashcard behind a blank card. Move the flashcard up
slowly, revealing the picture bit by bit. Students put their hands up and guess the job.
Alternatively, you could mime actions representing each job (e.g. teacher writing on
blackboard, tailor sewing, etc) and they guess. They could also play in small groups.

4. Focus on job
Go through the flashcards again. See if students can tell you about the job and elicit
descriptions and
basic sentences, with part 3 of the activity sheet in mind.
structure (10
Students complete part 3 of the activity sheet. Check answers with the completed
mins)
sentences written on the board (prepared in advance if possible). As you check each
answer, drill the sentence, making sure they notice and produce the 3rd person s.
Leave the sentences displayed on the board.
5. Oral practice
Play a game of pelmanism. Students work in pairs or threes. They must take turns to
of vocab/job
find the matching cards of the jobs and what they do. The cards go face down on the
descriptions and
table, the jobs cards in one grid and the what they do cards in another. Students
structure (10
must make a sentence based on the cards they turn over, and then say yes or no.
mins)
For example, if they turn over the card with the doctor picture, and the card with the
sentence teaches children in a school then they say A doctor teaches children in
a school. No! The student then returns the cards to the same place on the table and
the next student plays. When students find the correct pair of cards, they keep them.
The winner is the student with the most pairs.
If you have played pelmanism games with your students before, a demonstration
should suffice. If this is the first time, play a whole round as a class before putting
them into pairs or threes.
Students can refer to the sentences displayed on the board during the game. Monitor
to praise good sentences and help with pronunciation.

Lesson plan
6. Further oral
Remove the sentences displayed on the board then review them with the flashcards.
practice of
Now play a game of backs to the board. Divide the class into two teams. One
vocab/job
student from each team comes to the front and sits in a chair with their backs to the
descriptions and
board (so they cant see what you write on the board). Write a job on the board, and
structure (10
the rest of the students in each team must mime to their teammate until one of the
mins)
two students says the correct sentence. Play again, with new students in the chairs.
7. Listening to
the song for
detail (5 mins)

Play the song again, pausing after the first verse. Demonstrate completing part 2 of
the activity sheet i.e. the example with tailor (already completed) and doctor.
Tell students the jobs (the left hand column) are in order, and that you are going to
pause after every two jobs so they have time to match.
Play the rest of the song, pausing appropriately, and students complete. Check
answers as you go along.

8. Singing the
song (5-10 mins)

Now students can sing the song. First display the lyrics to the song on the board and
practise/drill as you feel the students need. Then play and sing!
You might like to have students alternate, e.g. girls sing the first two lines and boys
the second two lines in each verse, or assign each of the jobs to a pair of students to
sing, and have the class stand/sit in the order of the song.

9. Oral and
written
personalised
production of
the language (15
mins)

Finally, ask students what they want to be when they grow up. Encourage them to
say what they really want to be (not just choose from the jobs from the song) and
brainstorm on the board.
Students complete part 4 of the activity sheet, helping with language where
necessary. Depending on ability, you might like to give them some structure on the
board, e.g. I would like to be a teacher. A teacher teaches children in school. I want
to be a teacher because .
These can be displayed around the room. Allow time for them to look at other
students work.
If you have time, you might like to play a final game. Students mingle, asking each
other What do you want to be (when you grow up)? Why? After 5 minutes, put
students in small groups, they must try to remember and write down who wanted to
be what, with a bonus point if they can remember why!

10. Setting
homework (5
mins)

For homework, students could make a poster about their family. They should draw
adult members of their family and write who it is, what job they have, and what they
do. These would also make nice display work for the classroom.
If students have internet access at home, they can practise the song, watch the
What will I be when I grow up? story, or play the Jobs mixer game or the Jobs
quiz. If they are members of LearnEnglish Kids, they can also read comments on the
Jobs Your turn, download a worksheet to complete, then leave their own comments
on the page.

Contributed by
Rachael Ro