the ARTICLE (for teachers)

Transcription

1 the ARTICLE (for teachers) There is an old idiom: It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch. It can be applied to many situations, and a new report uses the idea in business. "One bad apple," or one bad employee, can harm the atmosphere of an office. An employee with a negative attitude, such as someone who complains a lot or doesn't work hard, brings stress to his coworkers. Unfortunately, negative behavior is much stronger than positive behavior. As a result, the negative employee affects the office more than several positive employees. In fact, one negative employee makes others feel negative, and then more and more employees become unhappy as time continues. Over time, the whole office is negative. The research was conducted by the University of Washington. In order to fix the problem, companies must take care of negativity immediately. For example, the employee who is a bad apple should work alone so he doesn't have much contact with other people in the office. He shouldn't work on projects with other people. Of course, effective hiring is a better solution. If the manager or Human Resources Department can identify a negative person, then they shouldn't hire him. The report recommended training managers to see negativity, and also to give personality tests in the interview. Teacher's Notes: * Underlined words in red typeface are the recommended vocabulary for this lesson. Heads Up English - 1

2 WARM-UPS Select one or all of the following warm-up activities. 1: Define: What does "bad apple" mean? Can you use it in a sentence? Can you give examples? 2: Brainstorm: Brainstorm with a partner words and ideas for "bad apple" for two minutes. Next, talk about the words and ideas for five minutes. 3: Title: Today's article is: "." What will you read about? 4: Do you agree or disagree? Why? a. Work is never enjoyable, so it doesn't matter if I like my job or not. b. I wish my coworkers and I were better friends. c. Complaining relieves stress. d. Negative emotions are stronger than positive emotions. e. There is an employee in my office who should be fired because... Heads Up English - 2

3 VOCABULARY Select one of the following vocabulary acquisition activities. 1: Vocabulary match: Individually or in pairs/groups, match the words in column A (from the article) with the best choice in column B. a. apply u. hurt b. harm v. administer c. complain w. useful d. conduct x. use e. effective y. find f. identify z. find fault 2: Fill in the Blanks: Fill in the blank with the correct word. harm identify complains effective conducted applied a. The idiom can be ( ) to many situations. b. One bad employee, can ( ) the atmosphere of an office. c. An employee with a negative attitude is someone who ( ) a lot. d. The research was ( ) by the University of Washington. e. Of course, ( ) hiring is a better solution. f. If the manager can ( ) a negative person, they shouldn't hire him. 3: Define: Look in your dictionary for each word. Write the definition, correctly pronounce the word, and give an example sentence to the class. a. apply: b. harm: c. complain: d. conduct: e. effective: f. identify: Heads Up English - 3

4 WORD RECOGNITION These activities are optional. They reinforce vocabulary and increase reading speed. 1: Word Search: Find only the target words (in bold). Time yourself, and see how long it takes to find all the words. harm identify complains effective conducted applied E U F H J Y C Y H D T T P B C I O T A A M F O E A A W K E O Y N T R U H U I M J R Z V D M F U R M I F L D T P C E Q U P T E C V Z P N I E N L J M R L N U X R P Y N F Z S E A H O A E Y Y A M O F O Q C W D I N N D G B R F E D S E U M S I N E I H I O C Q J M B O M B B U S L F P T H R Q G V V B I S B B R S I B B Q E A P F I D T O C V V D E T C U D N O C C Q V A E N F M W R C D I I M M K E R A P L L I E D R N Z F R Y P V M S U B W T R W D A A S J H H 2: Target Word Pool: Find only the target words (in bold) with their exact match. Time yourself, and see how long it takes to find all the words. harm identify complains effective conducted applied harm effectively conducting conductor complained misconducted identify effect companion harming application applying identity complains effective harmed complaining harmful misapplied identification conducted applied ineffective ineffectively indent complainer farm unidentified apple misconduct Heads Up English - 4

5 pre- or post-comprehension Select one or more activity to direct students before the article is read, or to check understanding after the article is read. 1: Brainstorm Questions: Brainstorm questions that you would like to ask about today's topic. Answer a partner the questions. He shouldn't look at the article when he answers. 2: True or False?: Guess (before the article) or answer (after the article) if the sentence is true or false. If false, correct the sentence. a. A negative employee can harm the atmosphere of an office. T/F b. Positive behavior is stronger than negative behavior. T/F c. If there is a bad employee, he should work alone. T/F d. It's impossible to stop bad apples from becoming hired. T/F e. According to the article, a personality test isn't helpful. T/F 3: Questions: Answer the questions to check comprehension. a. What does a negative employee bring to the office? b. According to the article, what is a negative employee? c. Which is stronger, a negative or a positive employee? d. What happens when an office has a negative employee? e. What are some possible solutions listed in the article? 4: Fragments: Remember how the fragments were used, and complete the sentence. a. "One bad apple," or one bad employee, can... b. As a result, the negative employee affects the office more... c. In order to fix the problem, companies must take... d. The report recommended training managers to see negativity, and... Heads Up English - 5

6 post-comprehension Select one or more activity to discuss the contents of the article. 1: Vocabulary: Circle any other unknown words/phrases in the article. In pairs/groups, use your dictionaries to understand these words. Write an example sentence for each one. 2: Class Questions: Read through the article once more, and write down any questions that you would like to talk about in pairs/groups or as a class. Answer the questions. 3: Summarize: Work with a partner to summarize the article in your own words. 4: Discuss: Talk about the following questions in pairs/groups. Remember to support your answers and ask more questions with your partner. a. Did you like this article? Why/not? b. Do you agree, that "one bad apple spoils the bunch?" Why/not? c. Have you ever worked with a negative person before? If yes, give details. d. If your office were "toxic," would you consider quitting? Why/not? e. What other solutions do you think might work with a bad apple? Why? f. Do you think that a bad apple usually knows he creates a negative atmosphere? 5: Discuss: Assume you were hiring people for a new position in your company. What three questions would you ask to determine if they were negative or positive people? Next, go around the class and ask your questions. a. b. c. 6: Google Search: Type "negativity at work" into Google news and read additional articles on this topic. Discuss or write an essay about your findings. Heads Up English - 6

7 STUDENT HANDOUT (the article) There is an old idiom: It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch. It can be applied to many situations, and a new report uses the idea in business. "One bad apple," or one bad employee, can harm the atmosphere of an office. An employee with a negative attitude, such as someone who complains a lot or doesn't work hard, brings stress to his coworkers. Unfortunately, negative behavior is much stronger than positive behavior. As a result, the negative employee affects the office more than several positive employees. In fact, one negative employee makes others feel negative, and then more and more employees become unhappy as time continues. Over time, the whole office is negative. The research was conducted by the University of Washington. In order to fix the problem, companies must take care of negativity immediately. For example, the employee who is a bad apple should work alone so he doesn't have much contact with other people in the office. He shouldn't work on projects with other people. Of course, effective hiring is a better solution. If the manager or Human Resources Department can identify a negative person, then they shouldn't hire him. The report recommended training managers to see negativity, and also to give personality tests in the interview. Notes: Heads Up English - 7

8 STUDENT HANDOUT (fill in the blank) Fill in the blank with the correct word. employees harm effective identify complains conducted training situations applied unfortunately There is an old idiom: It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch. It can be (a. ) to many (b. ), and a new report uses the idea in business. "One bad apple," or one bad employee, can (c. ) the atmosphere of an office. An employee with a negative attitude, such as someone who (d. ) a lot or doesn't work hard, brings stress to his coworkers. (e. ), negative behavior is much stronger than positive behavior. As a result, the negative employee affects the office more than several positive (f. ). In fact, one negative employee makes others feel negative, and then more and more employees become unhappy as time continues. Over time, the whole office is negative. The research was (g. ) by the University of Washington. In order to fix the problem, companies must take care of negativity immediately. For example, the employee who is a bad apple should work alone so he doesn't have much contact with other people in the office. He shouldn't work on projects with other people. Of course, (h. ) hiring is a better solution. If the manager or Human Resources Department can (i. ) a negative person, then they shouldn't hire him. The report recommended (j. ) managers to see negativity, and also to give personality tests in the interview. Heads Up English - 8

9 STUDENT HANDOUT (extended listening) Listen and fill in the missing sentences. Compare your answers with a partner, and then listen once more. There is an old idiom: It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch. It can be applied to many situations, and a new report uses the idea in business. "One bad apple," or one bad employee, can harm the atmosphere of an office. An employee with a negative attitude, a), brings stress to his coworkers. Unfortunately, negative behavior is much stronger than positive behavior. As a result, the negative employee affects the office more than several positive employees. In fact, b), and then more and more employees become unhappy as time continues. Over time, the whole office is negative. The research was conducted by the University of Washington. In order to fix the problem, companies must take care of negativity immediately. For example, the employee who is a bad apple should work alone so he doesn't have much contact with other people in the office. He shouldn't work on projects with other people. Of course, effective hiring is a better solution. c), then they shouldn't hire him. The report recommended training managers to see negativity, and also to give personality tests in the interview. Sentence #1: Sentence #2: Sentence #3: Heads Up English - 9

10 STUDENT HANDOUT (notes) Vocabulary 1: Vocabulary Match: 2: Fill in the Blanks: a. x a. applied b. u b. harm c. z c. complains d. v d. conducted e. w e. effective f. y f. identify pre- or post-comprehension 1. True or False: 2. Fragments: a. T b. F c. T d. F e. F a. harm the atmosphere of an office. b. than several positive employees. c. care of negativity immediately. d. also to give personality tests in the interview. Student Handout 1: Fill in the Blanks: a. applied f. employees b. situations g. conducted c. harm h. effective d. complains i. identify e. Unfortunately j. training 2: Extended Listening: a. such as someone who complains a lot or doesn't work hard b. one negative employee makes others feel negative c. If the manager or Human Resources Department can identify a negative person Heads Up English - 10