Unit 5: The Future of Work: Reading, Listening and Vocabulary

Learning outcomes

• Reading: articles and stories on the changing workplace, the impact of AI and human skills; key details and idioms.
• Language: causative verbs (have and get) in various tenses.
• Listening: skills needed for the future workforce.
• Writing: a narrative story about a day in the future.
• Speaking: debates on the pros and cons of AI and the importance of soft skills.

Lessons

• Discover Your Future!; Skills for the Future; The Rapid Change in Technology; The Power of Human Connection; Life in the Year 2050: My AI Assistant.

Main ideas of the text

• In the past jobs depended on physical effort (farming, manufacturing, construction); today machines and advanced systems do repetitive tasks.
• Humans focus on creativity and judgment and on soft skills: critical thinking, communication, emotional intelligence.
• Companies train staff in problem-solving, digital literacy, data management and remote-work tools (Zoom, Google Meet).
• Governments and schools design programmes for jobs technology cannot handle; success needs a growth mindset and continuous learning.

Idioms

• Stay ahead of the curve = be more advanced or better prepared than others.
• Think outside the box = think creatively and differently.
• Climb the career ladder = move up to higher positions in your job.

Key vocabulary

Speaking: debate

• "Will AI create more jobs than it displaces?" Discuss new AI jobs, how AI helps businesses grow, why replacing dangerous or repetitive jobs is good, and how to prepare for AI careers.

Main ideas

• Important future skills: flexibility, emotional intelligence, communication, digital skills, continuous learning.
• Not all jobs will be done by machines; green-energy and technology jobs are expected to grow.
• Technology will change how we work, so people must keep learning.

Vocabulary

Role-play

• Imagine it is 2030 and half of jobs have changed; choose three skills people need most and justify them to the class.

Main ideas of the story (set in 2045)

• Technology diagnoses illness, writes contracts and composes music, so many jobs disappear; governments introduce basic income and schools teach "future-proof" skills.
• In a Cairo café, elderly Amina tells children stories with emotion no machine can match.
• Engineer Dr. Sami lets his system analyze her storytelling; it captures metaphors and plot twists but not the children's gasps and smiles.
• Lesson: machines can copy words but cannot restore passion; human warmth and connection matter.

Vocabulary

Speaking: Think - Pair - Share (machines vs. humans)

• Think about tasks (driving a bus, heart surgery, painting a portrait, teaching small children, writing a novel, cleaning streets); decide which suit machines and which need humans, and why; compare with a partner; share with the class.