Exercise 1 linked to the article:Youngsters could do well in business:
Lesson Objectives:
-Read text and demonstrate understanding
-Analyse argument
-Respond to argument and work with evidence
-Understand entrepreneurship
1. Read article (15 minutes)
- Underline any words you do not recognise or understand
2. Understanding: (5 minutes)
- Have each student share word(s) they don’t know and define them
3. Summarize/Monitor Understanding (5 minutes)
- Have students identify the author’s main points in the article.
4. Focused Free Write (5 minutes writing, 5 minute discussion)
- Prompt: Read the quote from the article, “Slovaks in general are very self-confident, with 54.4 percent of adults believing they have the skills to start up and run a business- the second highest in Europe according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), with recent data from 2014.” Do you agree or disagree with the quote? Are Slovaks self-confident? Are teenagers in Slovakia self-confident? Are you self-confident? Why or why not? Explain.
- Have students share what they have written.
5. Discussion (10 minutes)
- Look for areas of consensus or dissonance.
- Focus on evidence they use to support their position.
- Summarise key points
Exercise 2 linked to the article: Meško: There is nothing I would do completely differently
Lesson Objectives
-Read text and demonstrate understanding
-Understand characteristics or traits of an entrepreneur
1. Warm-up: Focused Free Write (5 minutes)
- What is an entrepreneur? Ensure everyone understands the concept.
- Prompt: “If you could start your own business, what would it be and why?”
2. Read Interview (10 minutes)
- Underline any words you do not recognise or understand.
3. Understanding: (5 minutes)
- Have each student share word(s) they did not understand and have other students help to define them.
4. Responding to a quote: (5 minutes to write, 5 minutes to share)
- Choose one of the following quotes and prompts to write about.
- “All the things, successes and mistakes, contributed to our learning and to our path.” Young people today are too concerned with success and afraid to fail. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain.
- “I think the main challenge was to find balance.” Young people today are challenged to manage their time and find balance in their lives. Do you agree or disagree with this statement and why?
- “They should not be able afraid to take the first step, begin and try it out.” Write about a time you tried something, either a business or activity.
Have students share their thoughts about the quote they chose.
5. Reflection (5 minutes to write, 5 minutes to share)
- Choose one lesson that you have learned from Michal Meško that will be helpful to you- either in starting a business or in your everyday life. What is a key “take-away” idea?
Recommended Usage and Format for Leaf Academy English Lessons
We believe a discussion-based format is best for achieving the learning objectives. We also believe that using the technique Writing as Thinking helps students to formulate their ideas and practice their writing in advance of the discussion. The degree of facilitator and adult involvement will vary according to student background and secondary objectives.
Writing
Model by being willing to write along with students and also to share your writing with the class.
Let them know before writing if they will be asked to share their writing out loud.
Here writing is first thoughts, so poor spelling, punctuation or conventions are not the focus.
Focus on engaging with ideas.
They do not need to apologise for the quality of their writing.
Discussion
Set expectations for active listening and body language
Engage introverts and extroverts, be mindful of dominant voices
Be mindful of how much you are speaking
Manage time
Encourage students to respond directly to each other, and not through the facilitator, using evidence- I agree with Igor’s point because…
Encourage everyone to draw from evidence in the text to support their points, avoid generalisations
Can you point to a line in the text…
Can you help me to understand…
Could you give an example…
Use techniques to encourage other voices
Let’s hear some other thoughts…
Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t contributed yet...
Techniques for managing time/discussion
Put this in the parking lot and move on…
Let’s pause here…
Parts of the lesson
Focused Free Write- an opportunity for students to write freely, but about a specific prompt.
Reflection- an opportunity to think about the lesson, what they have learned and hopefully how it will help them or how it connects to their life
Underlining words- this strategy is a good habit for students and it also allows them more ownership of their vocabulary
This exercise is prepared by the Leaf Academy and it is part of the Spectator College, a programme created by The Slovak Spectator.
