Some new phone apps help people find someone to share a job with, just like finding friends. People make a page about themselves and look for someone who has the same work skills. These apps help people who want to work less hours. A big car company made a special tool for their workers to find a job friend. These apps are good for moms who need time for their kids.

Moms can use these apps to find a good job that lets them take care of their kids too. Some people who help women at work say sharing jobs is a good idea. But some worry the apps might not always pick the best job friends. Even if sharing a job makes more work for the boss, it can be good because it brings new ideas. More and more companies might start to like these apps because they help keep good workers.

Original news source: The job sharing apps that feel like online dating (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a set of cards with job-related words or phrases written on them. One person from each group will act out the word or phrase without speaking, while the others in the group guess what it is. The group that guesses the most words correctly wins.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a set of job-related vocabulary cards. One person from each pair will choose a card and draw a picture representing the word or phrase, while the other person guesses what it is. They can only communicate through drawing. After a certain amount of time, switch roles. The pair that guesses the most words correctly wins.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Give each student a copy of the article. In pairs, one person will have one minute to summarize the article to their partner, using their own words. The other person will listen and then summarize what they heard to the rest of the class. Encourage students to use key vocabulary and phrases from the article.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a set of discussion questions related to the article, such as “Do you think sharing a job is a good idea? Why or why not?” or “What are some potential benefits of using job-sharing apps?” Each person should think about their answer individually, then share their thoughts with their partner. After discussing, ask a few pairs to share their answers with the whole class.

– Two Truths and a Lie
Instructions: Have each student write down two true statements about themselves related to the article, and one false statement. They should keep their answers a secret. In groups, each person will take turns sharing their three statements. The rest of the group must guess which statement is the lie. Encourage students to use vocabulary and phrases from the article in their statements.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What do some phone apps help people find?
2. How do people make a page about themselves on these apps?
3. Who are these apps good for?
4. Why can moms use these apps?
5. What do some people who help women at work think about sharing jobs?
6. Why might some people worry about these apps?
7. Why might more and more companies start to like these apps?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Some new phone apps help people find someone to share a job with, just like finding friends. People make a page about themselves and look for someone who has the (1)______ work (2)______. These apps help people who want to work less hours. A big car company made a special tool for their workers to find a job (3)______. These apps are good for moms who need (4)______ for their kids.

Moms can use these apps to find a good job that lets them take care of their kids too. Some (5)______ who help women at work say sharing jobs is a good idea. But some worry the (6)______ might not always pick the best job friends. Even if sharing a job makes more work for the boss, it can be (7)______ because it brings new ideas. (8)______ and more companies might start to like these apps because they help keep good workers.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What are some phone apps that can help people find someone to share a job with?
2. How do these apps work?
3. Do you think it’s a good idea to share a job with someone? Why or why not?
4. How would you feel if you had a job friend?
5. Do you think these apps are helpful for moms? Why or why not?
6. What are some benefits of using these apps for moms?
7. Do you think it’s important for moms to have time for their kids? Why or why not?
8. How do these apps help companies keep good workers?
9. What do some people worry about when it comes to using these apps?
10. Do you think sharing a job can bring new ideas? Why or why not?
11. How do you think these apps can help people find a good job?
12. Would you like to use these apps to find a job? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. phone
2. apps
3. job
4. friends
5. page
6. skills
7. hours
8. workers

Meanings:
(a) People you like to spend time with
(b) Something you do to make money
(c) The amount of time you spend working
(d) Something you use to talk to people far away
(e) Small programs on a phone that do different things
(f) People who have a job
(g) A piece of paper with information about you
(h) Things you are good at doing
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What do some new phone apps help people find?
(a) Someone to go on a vacation with
(b) Someone to play video games with
(c) Someone to cook dinner with
(d) Someone to share a job with

2. How do people make a page about themselves on these apps?
(a) They send a text message
(b) They draw a picture
(c) They write a letter
(d) They create a profile

3. Who are these apps good for?
(a) Dads who need time for their kids
(b) Moms who need time for their kids
(c) Grandparents who need time for their kids
(d) Students who need time for their kids

4. What do some people worry about with these apps?
(a) They might not work on all phones
(b) They might not always pick the best job friends
(c) They might be too expensive to use
(d) They might not have any job options

5. Why can sharing a job be good for the boss?
(a) It brings new ideas
(b) It makes the boss work less
(c) It helps the boss make more money
(d) It helps the boss find new friends

6. What might more and more companies start to like about these apps?
(a) They help keep bad workers
(b) They help keep the boss happy
(c) They help keep good workers
(d) They help keep the office clean

7. What do some people say about sharing jobs?
(a) It is a good idea
(b) It is a bad idea
(c) It is a fun idea
(d) It is a scary idea

8. What do these apps help people who want to work less hours do?
(a) Find a new boss
(b) Find a new job
(c) Find a job friend
(d) Find a new car

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. People can make a page about themselves on these apps and look for someone with the same work skills.
2. There are no phone apps that help people find someone to share a job with, like finding friends.
3. These apps are not helpful for people who want to work less hours.
4. More and more companies might start to dislike these apps because they don’t help keep good workers.
5. Some people who help women at work think sharing jobs is a good idea.
6. Moms can’t use these apps to find a good job that lets them take care of their kids too.
7. A big car company made a special tool for their workers to find a job friend.
8. These apps are good for moms who need time for their kids.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What do some new phone apps help people find?
2. How do people make a page about themselves on these apps?
3. Who are these apps good for?
4. Why do some people think sharing jobs is a good idea?
5. Why might more companies start to like these apps?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What do some phone apps help people find?
Some phone apps help people find someone to share a job with.

2. How do people make a page about themselves on these apps?
People make a page about themselves by sharing information about their work skills.

3. Who are these apps good for?
These apps are good for moms who need time for their kids.

4. Why can moms use these apps?
Moms can use these apps to find a good job that lets them take care of their kids too.

5. What do some people who help women at work think about sharing jobs?
Some people who help women at work think sharing jobs is a good idea.

6. Why might some people worry about these apps?
Some people might worry that these apps might not always pick the best job friends.

7. Why might more and more companies start to like these apps?
More and more companies might start to like these apps because they help keep good workers and bring new ideas.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) same
(2) skills
(3) friend
(4) time
(5) people
(6) apps
(7) good
(8) More
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. phone
Answer: (d) Something you use to talk to people far away

2. apps
Answer: (e) Small programs on a phone that do different things

3. job
Answer: (b) Something you do to make money

4. friends
Answer: (a) People you like to spend time with

5. page
Answer: (g) A piece of paper with information about you

6. skills
Answer: (h) Things you are good at doing

7. hours
Answer: (c) The amount of time you spend working

8. workers
Answer: (f) People who have a job
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What do some new phone apps help people find?
Answer: (d) Someone to share a job with

2. How do people make a page about themselves on these apps?
Answer: (d) They create a profile

3. Who are these apps good for?
Answer: (b) Moms who need time for their kids

4. What do some people worry about with these apps?
Answer: (b) They might not always pick the best job friends

5. Why can sharing a job be good for the boss?
Answer: (a) It brings new ideas

6. What might more and more companies start to like about these apps?
Answer: (c) They help keep good workers

7. What do some people say about sharing jobs?
Answer: (a) It is a good idea

8. What do these apps help people who want to work less hours do?
Answer: (c) Find a job friend
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. People can make a page about themselves on these apps and look for someone with the same work skills. (Answer: True)
2. There are no phone apps that help people find someone to share a job with, like finding friends. (Answer: False)
3. These apps are not helpful for people who want to work less hours. (Answer: False)
4. More and more companies might start to dislike these apps because they don’t help keep good workers. (Answer: False)
5. Some people who help women at work think sharing jobs is a good idea. (Answer: True)
6. Moms can’t use these apps to find a good job that lets them take care of their kids too. (Answer: False)
7. A big car company made a special tool for their workers to find a job friend. (Answer: True)
8. These apps are good for moms who need time for their kids. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧