I am currently covering the employment module with my Literacy and CLB 1 class and what better way to practice that real world task than to immerse yourself in it. This week we looked at a job posting for a cashier position at a grocery store. We read over the job duties, and I broke it down into manageable phrases such as, “scan groceries”, “count money”, and “good customer service.” I also taught them longer phrases such as, “How can I help you?” “Will you be paying by debit, credit or cash?” “Do you have a points card?” “Do you need bags?” and “Here is your receipt.”
First, we practiced reading the lines off the board, then I decided to really make this more interactive. I said, “Let’s pretend we are at the grocery store!” I made an empty desk the scanning area, I found two Ziploc bags in the classroom which became the grocery bags and two hand-sized cards (one orange and one blue), along with a receipt. I then had the class partner up and one person acted as the customer and the other was the cashier. They then switched roles so they could both experience being a cashier.
They put their products on the desk, and the student who was the cashier scanned them, the orange card was the customer’s credit card and the blue card which sat on the desk was the POS machine for the swiping or tapping of the credit card. The student then bagged the items and handed their partner the receipt and items. At first, this was difficult because they were very focused on reading their lines, however, when they did the dialogue a second time they seemed more comfortable pairing the movement with the phrases. The learners who were watching played an important role, as they helped to prompt the actors to act out the scene while saying the lines. For instance, as a cashier the student was too busy reading her next set of lines, and she didn’t hear that the other student was requesting two grocery bags. The learners who were watching prompted the cashier by saying “the bags! Give the bags!” When it comes down to it-using realia to turn your classroom into the outside world as best you can – is the key to having them feel comfortable in the real world.
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