Teaching Procedures
Periods 1-2 Reading A
1. Introduction to Unit field work and lead-in to Reading A 10 min.
a. Describe a situation where cash management is needed and introduce the field work project by saying, for example:
Hello, class. Imagine you were running a small business. You want to make money, of course. But do you have any idea about how hard it will be if you can’t do cash management? Maybe you will lose more than you earn. Well, here is a chance for you to find it out. You have about two weeks while we are learning this Unit, to accomplish a field work project, which means a research task you do outside the class. You are going to do it in groups. After two weeks, you are supposed to present your work in class.
b. Ask students to:
- search the library or the Internet for information about cash management;
- make a list of questions and use them to interview entrepreneurs about cash management;
- write a report about what you have found and prepare for an in-class presentation.
c. Lead in to Reading A by saying, for example:
As the first step of your field work project, you may get some basic ideas about cash management by going through Reading A.
2. Pre-reading activities 10 min.
Activity 1 Brainstorming
a. Students work with partners and list some words relevant to “Cash Management”
b. Invite some students to give their list and provide the suggested list below if necessary:
account, debt, be short of, gain, profit, tax, borrow, lend, pay, check
3. In-reading activities 50 min.
Activity 1 Individual work: finding out the difficulties
a. Students read the text with attention to possible language difficulties and special terms.
b. Students raise questions concerning the difficulties found while reading.
c. Encourage students to join in the explanation of difficult points.
d. Comment on students’ performance.
Activity 2 Pair work: reviewing the expressions
a. Students work in pairs with one reading out language points or special terms and the other making a sentence, paraphrasing or translating.
b. Monitor the work and provide help if necessary.
Activity 3 Group work: getting the ideas
a. Students work in groups to discuss
- why we should manage our cash;
- how we can manage our cash efficiently.
b. Group representatives report about their work.
c. Invite peer comment and give feedback.
Possible difficulties in Reading A
- to meet the payroll (Paragraph 1): to pay salaries
- make interest payments due on loans (Paragraph 1): pay interest for loans
due: owed as a debt
e.g. the amount due to somebody
- giving financial managers access to balances on bank accounts (Paragraph 3): allowing financial managers to use/know/go to balances on bank accounts
e.g. to give him access to the controlling center
- bypass banking delays (Paragraph 3): avoid delays caused by complicated banking formalities
- until the minute outstanding checks clear (Paragraph 3): until the time when all the checks owed are paid off
4. Post-reading activities 30 min.
Activity 1 Individual work: reviewing the ideas
a. Students read the passage again and point out the main idea of each paragraph.
b. Invite some students to present their work.
c. Give comments and refer them to exercise I for the topic sentences of some paragraphs.
Activity 2 Group work: learning more expressions
a. Students work in groups and discuss the expressions listed in exercise III.
b. Students try to make sentences using the expressions.
c. Student present the group work.
d. Comment on group performance.
5. Assignment
a. Students finish exercises III-VII based on what they have learned in Reading A.
b. Students preview Reading B.
c. Students spare some time for the field work project.
