Working as a Volunteer in a Charity Shop
Overview
‘Working as a Volunteer in a Charity Shop’ is aimed primarily at learners who are already working as volunteers in charity shops or who want to find out more about working in the sector. The resource uses authentic sound recordings as a springboard for practice in all four skills within this context.
The resource is linked to ‘Voluntary work’, a resource which provides a minimum of three hours learning. Both resources were designed to complement each other and give learners a clear picture of working in this type of environment.
Note that the recordings were made in situ using a small, portable recording device to make sure the language was as authentic as possible. The quality may be ‘grainy’ in places, and there may be background noise.
Level
ESOL Entry 3 – Level 1 / SQA ESOL Intermediate 1 - Intermediate 2 in Scotland / B1 – B2 CEFR Framework
Learning hours and delivery context:
The resource provides a minimum of three hours of learning in a classroom or workplace context through a series of linked worksheets. It is flexible in terms of timing and differentiation. The worksheets can be grouped into units as follows:
- Unit 1: (Worksheet 1) Lead-in to the subject and pre-teaching of some key vocabulary.
- Unit 2: (Worksheets 2-4) Listening skills focussing on job roles in a charity shop. Can be delivered as a stand alone unit.
- Unit 3: (Worksheets 5 and 6) Follow-up writing practice.
- Unit 4: Worksheets 7-10 Listening skills and language analysis focussing on customer interactions. Can also be delivered as a stand alone unit.
- Unit 5: (Worksheets 11-12) Follow-up language analysis, reading and speaking activities.
The resources have been produced in two different formats:
- a self-access resource for learners with online activities.
- a resource for teachers to use in the classroom with teachers’ notes and worksheets to download
The teachers’ notes include an answer key, tapescripts and suggestions on exploiting the materials, but the worksheets are self-explanatory and teachers are encouraged to adapt them to meet group/individual needs.
Teacher notes
Unit 1
Aims:
- To establish the context for learning.
- To stimulate discussion about charity shops.
- To help the teacher establish which learners have experience of the area.
- To pre-teach key vocabulary.
Objectives:
All learners will be able to:
- Talk about their own experience of charity shops as a volunteer, customer or donor.
- Explain how the sector operates.
- Read, pronounce and hear key vocabulary.
Some learners will be able to:
- Discuss in more detail how charity shops operate, the kinds of goods thay sell, etc
Approximate timing: 30 minutes
Suggested procedure:
Lead-in
Use the visual ‘Donations wanted’ to introduce the topic; elicit from learners where they would see this sign.
The following questions could form a whole-class or group discussion:
- Do you work in a charity shop?
- Do you know anyone who works in a charity shop?
- What charity shops are there in your area?
- What kind of things do they sell in charity shops?
- Do you ever buy things from a charity shop?
- Do you ever donate things to a charity shop?
You might want to brainstorm a list of charity shops and look at what the aims of each charity are.
If there are learners in the class who are currently working in a charity shop, ask these questions, which should produce some useful vocabulary and prepare the class for the activities that follow:
- What do you talk to customers about?
- What do you talk to colleagues about?
If possible, put learners into groups in which at least one learner has experience of working in a charity shop. Don’t spend too long on this. It might be useful to elicit ‘volunteer’ before you start.
If they have access to computers, learners should go to online activity 1 below and follow the instructions online. Alternatively hand out the paper version: Worksheet 1
Link to Activity 1
Link to Activity 1
Vocabulary
This part of the worksheet can be done in pairs or groups. Alternatively you could cut up the matching task and use it for a mingle activity.
Note that the vocabulary here comes up repeatedly in the recordings and in the follow-up activities, so once the task is finished the pronunciation should be drilled thoroughly. Try drilling the words in context rather than in isolation; you will find examples in the tapescripts
If they have access to computers, learners should go to online activity 2 below and follow the instructions online. Alternatively hand out the paper version: Worksheet 1
