VETS高级教师用书_Unit_2

Teacher’s book for VETS advanced

Unit 2 Make a contingency plan

Starting up

About the unit

A contingency plan helps project management teams prepare for the unknown. This means that it’s a vital part of risk management. A business contingency plan is an action plan that is used to respond to future events that might affect a company in the future. In most cases, a contingency plan is devised to respond to a negative event that could ta rnish a company’s reputation or even its business continuity. In this unit, by helping the staff featured in the course book to make a work-from-home plan, Ss will develop the skills they need to make a contingency plan.

Teaching objectives

In working through this unit, students should learn how to:

●identify and analyse the details of a contingency plan, including the purpose, possible

eventualities and arrangements (Set the task & Prepare for the task);

●list two to three key points you need to consider when making a contingency plan;

●make a contingency plan (Fulfil the task & To extend).

Teaching suggestions

The T can present this unit in different ways. A product-oriented approach and outcome-based methodology are suggested. The T can guide Ss through the output task by showing them how to identify and utilize relevant information about an event and how to make a contingency plan.

Motivating: Ask Ss to discuss what information should be included in a contingency plan. Enabling:

Scenario

●Introduce the “Scenario” and elicit key information about the task, e.g. who the people are

and what their roles are, information about the work-from-home plan, etc.

●Guide Ss to have the discussion in pairs and get them to think about what preparations they

would make before making the work-from-home plan.

●Explain the career tip.

Set the task

●Let Ss listen to the conversation to get a clear idea of Zhang Lei’s task and specific

requirements.

●Listen again and get Ss to complete the exercises in “Understand the text”.

●Explain vocabulary.

●Check Ss’ answers to “Language in focus”.

●Explain the language tip.

Prepare for the task

●The “Reading”task will help Ss to better understand how to make a reasonable work-from-home plan.

●Explain the cultural tip if necessary, and ask Ss to share any possible conditions in which a company might be required to make a contingency plan.

●In the “Listening”task, ask Ss to note down specific information about the possible difficulties which might be encountered when making a contingency plan.

●Enable Ss to develop reading and listening skills for key information by supporting them in

doing the “Understand the text” exercise.

●Explain vocabulary.

●Check Ss’ answers to “Language in focus”.

●Explain the language tip if necessary, and ask Ss to practice the s entence pattern of “... when…” and “...while...” with classmates.

Develop the strategies

●Ask Ss to discuss the purpose, structure and function of a contingency plan and how

information in a contingency plan should be organised.

●Teach Ss how to organize information in a contingency plan by referring to the sample.

●Lead Ss to read the strategy for making a contingency plan.

Assessing:

Fulfil the task

●Encourage Ss to finish the task by explaining the steps in the course book.

●Ask Ss to make their own work-from-home plan.

●Invite Ss to share their work-from-home plan with the class. Ask Ss to give feedback on each

other’s work and give your own comments or feedback.

To extend

●Ask Ss to do the comprehension work in Activity 1 by reading the passage.

●Ask Ss to discuss the questions in Activity 2.

Detailed Procedures & Key

Scenario

Discussion: Work in pairs and discuss the following question. Imagine you are Zhang Lei. What preparations will you make before making a work-from-home plan?

Break up the topic by asking detailed questions, such as:

●What are some of the possible reasons that people might work from home?

●What kind of work or position is more suitable for working from home?

●Who could be involved in making a work-from-home plan?

●What factors should be considered in making a work-from-home plan?

●What different parts might a contingency plan include?

●How would you organize the different parts of a contingency plan in a logical order?

Set the task

Script

Zhang Lei: Morning, Jim. Tina said you wanted to see me.

Jim: Yes. Have a seat, Lei. According to the weather forecast, there will be a serious blizzard in the coming week. It is predicted that the snowstorm will be heavy and last for five days.

Zhang Lei: Yes, I got that pop-up this morning as well.

Jim: Thi s being the case, I don’t think it is safe for our staff to commute as usual.

Zhang Lei:Exactly. Some of our staff live quite far away from the company. Commuting in stormy weather would increase the rate of accidents.