Procedures

Teacher Notes

Step 3: Research External Research Gathering Brainstorming -- Whole Group The students will: participate comfortably and confidently in group discussions and experiences Co-operate with others to plan and participate in drama experiences connect what they know with what they are learning (IL) identify their own needs and interests (IL) identify and appropriately use a variety of available resources (IL). The teacher asks the students what they already know about "Work". As a whole group, they generate the following list: What They Know the part-time work experiences of themselves and their peers the need for money the need for work the pressures of balancing work with school, other activities, family and friends limited knowledge of the full-time work experiences of their parents and others their parents' expectations of them regarding work the experiences of some young people who have left high school before graduating the experiences of some family members and others with unemployment their experiences with job searches, interviews and resume-writing limited knowledge of the historical aspects of work limited knowledge of labour laws limited knowledge of the increasing effect of technology on work. The teacher asks the students what they don't know about the topic. As a whole group, they generate the following list of things they need to find out more about.
What They Need to Find Out the work histories, job search experiences, present jobs and working conditions of their parents or other adults unemployment the experiences of school drop-outs the job market federal and provincial labour laws human rights legislation affirmative action unemployment insurance and social assistance programs working conditions throughout history labour unions post-secondary education The teacher asks the students to create a list of resources available to help them find out what they need to know. They generate the following list:	Teachers are cautioned about requiring students to bring personal information about their families to school. It is important for students to understand that they may interview any adult of their choice.
Resources
Libraries books, magazines, articles, newspaper reports, government documents, films and videos The Arts plays, other literature, art works, music and song lyrics, dance Agencies Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission; Saskatchewan Human Resources, Labour, and Employment; Employment and Immigration Canada; Saskatchewan Social Services People friends, parents, guidance counsellor, career education teacher, other teachers The teacher asks the students what they can do to use these resources. The students generate the following list: Research Methods use library resources write letters requesting information bring in guest speakers interview people go on field trips (visit places of employment, government agencies, etc.). The students agree to be prepared to begin researching the topic during the next class. Research -- Pairs The students will: understand the importance of research in drama select learning methods appropriate for the task and own learning style (IL).	The teacher may choose to make suggestions regarding available resources if the students seem unaware of relevant agencies or other resources in the community.
The teacher brings to the next class a list of research tasks and, with student-chosen partners, the students volunteer for specific tasks. Some of these include library research on a particular aspect of the topic, formulation of interview questions for parents and interviews with people in various agencies. The next three classes are devoted to research; students who are going to outside agencies to conduct interviews do so during one of these classes or go after school.	It is important that students undertake specific research tasks in order that all relevant sub-topics are researched and to assure that some students do not duplicate the work of others.
Oral Presentations -- Pairs The students will: co-operate with each other in order to enhance their understanding through sharing information (IL) interpret and report results of learning experiences (IL).
When the students have completed their external research gathering, they share their findings with the rest of the class. Each pair presents information that might be useful for their collective creation. One pair distributes copies of interview questions and asks all students to interview an adult about work -- a parent, a teacher, a relative, etc. -- within the next week. All written reports, statistics, etc. are kept on file for future reference; charts and visual aids are displayed in the classroom.	These oral presentations may be assessed by the teacher or by the teacher and the students as part of the overall evaluation of the students' work. Encourage students to prepare charts or visual aids of pertinent information. These aids may be used during the presentation and displayed for future reference.
Discussion -- Whole Group The students will: co-operate with others to plan and participate in drama experiences. The students discuss their findings, highlight information that they think is particularly useful, and make suggestions for incorporating this information into their collective creation.