This lesson aims to raise learners' awareness of work-related gender stereotypes and to emphasise that anyone can have any occupation that they wish. It is based on a short video that challenges traditional ideas that certain jobs are for men. At the end of the lesson, learners are encouraged to personalise what they have learned by drawing a picture of themselves in their future job – a task which may strengthen the concept that everyone can choose whatever job they wish, regardless of their gender.
Lesson outcomes
All learners will:
- learn and revise language related to jobs
- watch and respond to a video about gender and jobs
- use creative skills to draw themselves in a future job
- practise speaking skills by describing a job they would like to do.
Materials
- Lesson plan
- Presentation
- Access to the YouTube video A Class That Turned Around Kids' Assumptions of Gender Roles!
- Paper, coloured pens or pencils
Procedure
- Show Slide 2. Ask learners What's this person's job? Elicit a firefighter. (If they say 'fireman', ask: Do you know another word? We don't know if this person is a man.)
- Show Slide 3. Drill 'a firefighter'. Then ask follow-up questions to elicit related language, for example: What does a firefighter: use [a hose] / wear [a helmet] / do [puts out fires] / drive? [a fire engine].
- Show Slide 4. Ask learners What's this person's job? Elicit a surgeon. (If they say 'doctor', explain: This is a special type of doctor. They do operations in a hospital.)
- Show Slide 5. Drill 'a surgeon'. Then ask follow-up questions to elicit related language, for example: What does a surgeon wear? [gloves and a mask]; Where do they work? [in a hospital]; What does a surgeon do? [helps people who are ill].
- Show Slide 6. Ask learners What's this person's job? Elicit a pilot.
- Show Slide 7. Drill 'a pilot'. Then ask follow-up questions to elicit related language, for example: What does a pilot wear? [a headset]; What does a pilot do? [flies a plane].
- Show Slide 8. Ask learners to look at what the different people say about their jobs. Depending on the age and abilities of your learners, you may decide to do this as a written activity or orally, and have learners work either in pairs/small groups or as a whole class.
- Show Slide 9 and check the answers together.
- Ask: Are these people men or women? What do you think? Why?
- Accept any answers and, if necessary, allow learners to answer in L1. If gender stereotypes come up in the discussion, tell learners that in a moment they're going to watch a video where they'll see some people who do these jobs, and maybe they'll change their opinion!
- Tell learners they're going to watch the first part of the video. They're going to see some children drawing pictures of people doing these jobs, and they should try to remember what they see in the children's drawings.
- Play the video until 0:50.
- Ask learners to tell their partner what they remember about the children's drawings.
- Play the video again from the beginning, pausing at each of the drawings. Nominate learners to describe what they can see in the drawings (e.g. a fire, a fire engine, a hose, a ladder, a helmet).
- Ask learners Did you notice if the children drew men or women doing the jobs? [They all draw men and talk about their pictures using 'he', e.g. he's big and strong.] Why do you think that is?
- Play to 1:20. Why do the schoolchildren look so surprised? (Accept all answers, e.g. because the people are wearing uniforms; because they've never seen people with these jobs before; because they expected the people to be men.) Were you surprised?
- Play to the end of the video, then ask:
Do you think the children enjoyed meeting the people?
Did their ideas change about these jobs? How?
Would you like to do any of these jobs?
- Tell learners that they are going to draw themselves doing a job they want to do when they're an adult. Show Slide 10 and draw learners' attention to the sentence stems.
- On the board, model the task using the example of a teacher: draw a simple picture and ask learners to help you complete the sentence stems. Keep language clear and simple.
- Ask learners to think about what the job involves (e.g. clothes, tools, place of work, actions) and include this in their drawing.
- Depending on their age and writing level, learners can also write short sentences using the stems to describe their future job.
- As learners are drawing, monitor and help them with language to describe their pictures.
- Put learners into pairs or small groups and explain that they have 2–3 minutes to think of and say as many different jobs as they can.
- While monitoring, note any unusual, interesting or useful job words and write them on the board.
- Check meaning and pronunciation of key vocabulary. If appropriate, draw attention to common endings and sounds, e.g. the schwa /ə/ in words like doctor, teacher, dancer, singer.
- Ask everyone to hold up their pictures to show the class. Nominate a few of the more confident learners to describe their pictures.
- Lead a final discussion, using L1 if necessary. Ask What sorts of jobs has everyone chosen? (draw attention to some interesting choices); Have any people chosen the same job? (don't do this too explicitly, but try to highlight instances where boys and girls have chosen the same job); Are some jobs for boys and some for girls, or can anyone do the job that they want? (the idea of this lesson is to show that everyone can do the job they wish, regardless of their gender).
- Play a jobs miming game. One learner comes to the front and chooses or is given a job. Either they could be given a card, if you have a set of jobs flashcards, or they could choose one of the jobs written on the board during the lesson.
- The learner mimes the job (without using words or sounds).
- The rest of the class guesses, e.g. You're a doctor. / Are you a firefighter?
Comments
English
Hi Abdiasis
Thanks for your comment. Here at TeachingEnglish we provide resources and support for English language teachers. If you are looking for help with your English, you could try contacting a local teaching centre where you live.
Thanks,
Cath
TeachingEnglish team
The content is highly…
The content is highly structured and simplified, which facilitates effective teaching for instructors and enhances comprehension for learners.
Easy to implement
Well thought and easy description makes putting across a complex topic /message understandable and well received.
Comprehensive
The materials were easy to comprehend and had a well outlined structure.
Abdur Rahman
The material is well-organized and easy to follow, making it highly supportive for teachers in delivering lessons and equally beneficial for students in understanding the concepts clearly.
WELL STRUCTURED AND SIMPLIFIED
The content is highly structured and simplified, which facilitates effective teaching for instructors and enhances comprehension for learners.
I love the materials, thank you for adding pictures to make it more creative.