Feature Story September 2011 Feature Story Objectives

alberta.ca

cbc.ca/edmonton/eal

Feature Story September 2011

Feature Story Objectives

CLB competency outcomes

Listening: Reading: Speaking: Writing:

Cultural Differences

L: Identify factual details and some implied meanings in extended descriptions, narration. L: Extract detailed meaning from a text R: Express information contained in a graph as text S: (Global descriptor): Pronunciation errors rarely impede communication W: Take notes from an oral presentation W: Demonstrate good use of most complex structures, spelling, and punctuation

Language skills

Vocabulary:

Grammar:

Pronunciation:

Use word definitions and contextual cues to choose correct vocabulary items Understand the use of adverbs to avoid over-generalizing and stereotyping. Correctly identify word stress patterns

Language Activities (in order of appearance in materials)

Answering comprehension questions and discussion questions about a short background text on All Weather Windows Completing pre-listening activities to build vocabulary and prepare learners for audio Listening to audio to identify facts and details Taking notes while listening to audio Creating a word web while listening to audio Categorizing words based on their stress patterns Understanding and identifying adverbs that help avoid making over-generalizations Findings specific information in charts and graphs Making inferences based on charts and graphs Writing a comparison contrast paragraph

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Background Reading: All Weather Windows

Information taken from: The paragraph below is about a Canadian company call All Weather Windows. All Weather Windows is a Canadian window and door manufacturing company. Their head office is in Edmonton but they have branches all across Canada. There are over a thousand dealers who sell All Weather Windows products. For the past three years All Weather Windows has been awarded a position as one of Canada's 50 best managed companies. They have also won awards for having energy efficient products that are good for the environment. All Weather Windows employs a large number of people and has a very multicultural workforce.

Background Reading: Questions Understanding the reading 1) Where can you find All Weather Windows branches? 2) What awards has All Weather Windows won? 3) What are two adjectives that describe the All Weather Windows workforce? Food for thought 4) What are some benefits and challenges of working in a very multicultural workplace?

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The Audio

In this story, you will hear CBC journalist Mark Harvey discuss the issue of cultural difference in the workplace. Mark interviews a number of employees at All Weather Windows, in Edmonton, about how the company is working to overcome cultural differences in the workplace.

In this Audio, you will hear: Radio host- Mark Scholz Radio Journalist ? Mark Harvey All Weather Windows, Training Manager ? Jason Fleming All Weather Windows employee ? Lich Vu Associate Director, NorQuest College ? Todd Odgers

Predicting How many different languages and cultural backgrounds do you think there are among workers at All Weather Windows?

Now listen to the Audio ? the introduction is here to help you get started...

Speaker

Announcer

Title: CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

Next, Alberta is hiring. Alberta may soon be short more than 75,000 workers. Companies are scouring the world looking for people to fill those jobs. Coming up, pitfalls in a multicultural workforce. It can all end up hurting the bottom line.

The way we behave and what we expect of others is a product of the society in which we were raised. And as the face of the workplace changes, understanding those differences will be key to keeping good productive workers. Mark Harvey now joins us with the story. Mark good morning. Hello. Good to see you again. Uh, how to cultural differences emerge as a problem in the workplace?

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Vocabulary

The words and phrases below are from the Podcast. The definitions are next to the words. Read the definitions then do the activity below.

Word from the text

Definition

1. scouring (verb) 2. pitfalls (noun) 3. bottom line (noun phrase) 4. emerge (verb) 5. crop up (phrasal verb) 6. concept (noun) 7. simultaneously (adverb) 8. bound (verb)

9. traits (noun) 10. hierarchy (noun)

11. implications (noun) 12. credible (adjective) 13. initiative (noun)

14. taking the bull by the horns (expression)

15. flat out (adverb) 16. segment (noun) 17. quote unquote

(expression)

searching very hard for something problems or difficulties the amount of money that a company makes or loses appear or become known to people appear unexpectedly general idea about what something is or means at the same time having to behave a certain way because of a commitment or tie to something or someone else qualities or characteristics of a person or thing a system where people are categorized based on their power or status possible effects or consequences of something trustworthy or believable deciding to do something on your own, without being asked dealing with a problem directly and confidently

at full speed and with full effort a smaller part of a whole a phrase that is said before something that would have quotation marks (" ") around it if it were written down. People often use it before a word or phrase that they do not agree with

Use the vocabulary words (questions 1-17) above to complete the sentences. The first one is done for you. (answers can be found in the appendix)

1. I think kindness and empathy are very important ______________ in a husband or wife. 2. My first day of work was ______________ the scariest and the most exciting day I have

had all year.

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3. One of the ______________ of owning my own business is working very long hours. 4. Every since my daughter was born, my own sleep schedule has been ______________

to hers. 5. When employees miss a lot of work because of illness, it can affect the company's

______________. 6. I just started working here so I have a very low position in the company

______________. 7. The problems with our relationship began to slowly ______________ after we got

married. 8. I have been ______________ the Internet for information about an old friend of mine. 9. These days, retired people are a becoming a larger ______________ of the population. 10. My daughter says that really short skirts are ______________ "way cool" right now but I

still won't let her wear them to school. 11. In the summer, street performers ______________ all over the downtown area. 12. Nobody knows for sure what all of the ______________ of climate change will be. 13. When looking for information on the Internet, it can be hard to know which information

is _____________ and which false. 14. I like both of my bosses but they each have a very different ______________ of what it

means to be a leader. 15. You will never get a date him unless you take __________________ and ask him out.

He is too shy to ask you. 16. In our company, employees are expected to have the ______________ to find and solve

problems without very much help from the boss. 17. My husband and I have been working ______________ to try to finish painting our

house by the end of the week.

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Listening Activities

Listening for meaning. Listen to the audio again

Read the following statements and indicate whether they are TRUE or FALSE. If the sentence is false, write the true statement. The first one is done for you.

1. 75, 000 workers in Alberta may soon lose their jobs. TRUE FALSE Alberta may soon be short more than 75,000 workers.

2. According to Mark, cultures differ even among people who are born in Alberta. TRUE FALSE ____________________________________________________________

3. All Weather Windows has some employees who are from Mexico. TRUE FALSE _____________________________________________________________

4. According to Lich, punctuality is more important in Vietnam than it is in Canada. TRUE FALSE _____________________________________________________________

5. According to Mark, Canada is more hierarchical than many Asian cultures. TRUE FALSE _____________________________________________________________

6. Todd believes that taking initiative is very important in the Albertan workplace. TRUE FALSE _____________________________________________________________

7. NorQuest works with companies to help bridge cultural gaps. TRUE FALSE ____________________________________________________________

8. Jason thinks that it is too expensive and time consuming to think about cultural differences and communication when the company is very busy during a boom. TRUE FALSE _____________________________________________________________

9. Jason believes that welcoming people and helping them integrate into the company will help the company make more money. TRUE FALSE _____________________________________________________________

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Building Listening Skills

Taking notes from a listening or lecture

Taking notes from a lecture or while listening can help you to identify and remember the main

points and ideas. It is impossible to write down everything you hear ? you can only record the

main ideas. Sometimes when you review your notes you might find they are just a jumble of

words and points. Using a word web can help you to write down ideas as they are connected

and improve your understanding.

Another idea when taking notes is to develop a system of abbreviations:

Here are some suggestions:

word

Possible abbreviation

Alberta

AB

companies

Co.s

workplace

w/p

All Weather Windows

AWW

Culture/cultural between

cult

Experience

exp

and

&

communication

comm

understand

u/stand

Build up your own list of useful abbreviations for note-taking

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Listen to the audio again

While you are listening, complete this word web.

Make extra boxes/arrows on the web, if you need to.

Sample answer in the appendix

AB short 75,000 workers

Co.s looking for workers around the world

Global economy

Why an issue?

Hierarchy

Cult diffs in

w/p

AWW

TIME ex.

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