aiMOOC

E9 G - Ask questions about a workplace

QR-Code

E9 G - Ask questions about a workplace

Mini-Beschreibung: You are new at a fictional workplace. You ask simple questions about tasks, hours, team and the workplace. Du arbeitest mit kurzen Texten, Bildern und Videos. Ziel: verstehen, reagieren, nachfragen und die Sprache direkt wieder benutzen.

Level: English, Klasse 9, G-Niveau, Baden-Württemberg.

Look – think – ask: What can you see? What questions could a new worker ask?

Starter questions:

What do I do first?
What time do we start?
Who is in my team?
Where is the break room?

I can ...

Nach diesem aiMOOC kannst Du sagen:

I can ask about tasks.
I can ask about working hours.
I can ask about a team.
I can ask about a workplace.
I can ask a short follow-up question.
I can write a short workplace message with questions.

Your learning loop

English first → understand → respond → ask → hint → improve → use again

Du probierst zuerst selbst. Danach nutzt Du Hilfen. Dann verbesserst Du Deine Antwort und setzt sie in einer neuen Situation noch einmal ein.

Vorwissen: What do you already know?

Look at the workplaces. Say one word or one short sentence for each picture.

Possible words: warehouse – boxes – worker – team – shift

Possible words: workshop – tools – repair – mechanic – task

Possible words: kitchen – food – clean – prepare – team

Quick pair task: Ask your partner: Where does the person work? Then ask: What does the person do?

Input

Four useful question areas

At a new workplace, you often need four kinds of information.

Area	Useful question	Short answer
tasks	What do I do first?	Please check the boxes.
hours	What time do we start?	We start at eight.
team	Who is in my team?	You work with Mia and Ben.
workplace	Where is the break room?	It is next to the office.

Remember: A good workplace question is short, clear and polite.

Media start: English at work

Watch the first part only. Do not use subtitles on your first try.

First viewing – understand:

Is the situation about work?
Can you hear words about people, jobs or the workplace?
Write down two words you understand.

Second viewing – respond:

Say one thing you understood.
Ask one question you still have.

Support after your first try: Watch again with English subtitles if available. Stop after short sections. Do not translate every sentence.

Reading: A first day at BrightBike

BrightBike Workshop is fictional.

Sam is 15 and is doing a short work-experience day at BrightBike Workshop. Sam meets team leader Alex.

Alex: Hi Sam. Welcome to BrightBike.
Sam: Thanks. What do I do first?
Alex: Please put these helmets on the shelf.
Sam: Okay. What time is the break?
Alex: At ten thirty.
Sam: Who is in my team?
Alex: You work with Jo and Malik today.
Sam: Great. Where can I put my bag?
Alex: In the staff room.

Understand: Find one question about a task, one about time, one about the team and one about the workplace.

Respond: Which question is most useful for a first day? Give one short reason: I think ... because ...

Context vocabulary

Learn words in useful groups, not as a long list.

Tasks	Hours	Team	Workplace
check	start	colleague	office
clean	finish	team leader	workshop
prepare	break	supervisor	staff room
carry	shift	partner	warehouse

Use it: Make one question with a word from the table.

Example: When does the shift start?

Asking about tasks

Useful questions:

What do I do first?
What is my next task?
Can you show me, please?
Do I need to clean this?

Useful reactions:

Okay, I can do that.
Sorry, can you say that again?
Can you show me once?
What do I do after that?

Communication first: If you do not understand, ask again. That is useful workplace communication.

Asking about hours

Useful questions:

What time do we start?
What time do we finish?
When is the break?
How long is the break?

Short answers:

We start at eight.
We finish at four.
The break is at twelve.
It is thirty minutes.

Asking about the team

Useful questions:

Who is in my team?
Who is my supervisor?
Who can help me with this?
Do we work together?

A good follow-up question is simple:

Who is in my team? → And who is the team leader?

Asking about the workplace

Useful questions:

Where is the staff room?
Where can I put my bag?
Where are the tools?
Is this the right room?

Picture task: Imagine this is your workplace. Ask two Where ...? questions.

Listening and viewing: First day at work

Watch a short section. First listen without subtitles.

First try:

Who is new?
What workplace words can you hear?
What question does a new worker ask?

Second try: Use English subtitles if needed. Pause after one idea.

After listening: Tell a partner one useful sentence. Then change one word and use the sentence again.

Listening strategy

You do not need every word.

Listen for:

question words: what – when – who – where
workplace words: task – team – break – office
times and names
the key verb: start – finish – work – help

Hint: If you miss one word, keep listening. Look for the main idea.

Pronunciation and fluency

Goal: understandable English, not accent-free English.

Say the question in short chunks:

What do I do / first?
What time / do we start?
Who is / in my team?
Where is / the staff room?

Practice twice:

First: slowly and clearly.
Second: a little more naturally.

Fluency tip: Keep the important words clear: what – time – start – team – where.

Functional grammar: Questions that work

You only need a few strong patterns.

Pattern	Example
What + do + I + verb?	What do I do first?
What time + do + we + verb?	What time do we start?
Who + is ...?	Who is my supervisor?
Where + is ...?	Where is the office?

Four accuracy goals:

Use do in questions such as What do I do?
Put the verb after do: When do we start?
Use is with one person or place: Who is ...? Where is ...?
End a direct question with a question mark in writing.

Communication is more important than perfect grammar. Correct the few errors that make your question hard to understand.

Common errors – improve them

Not yet	Better	Why?
What I do first?	What do I do first?	The question needs do.
What time we start?	What time do we start?	Use do before the subject.
Where the office is?	Where is the office?	Put is before the subject.
Who my supervisor?	Who is my supervisor?	Use is.

Error check: Is the question still easy to understand? Fix one important point, then speak again.

Help levels

Help 1 – keywords: task – start – team – room

Help 2 – question frames:

What do I ...?
What time do we ...?
Who is ...?
Where is ...?

Help 3 – model:

Hi. I am new here. What do I do first? What time is the break? Who is in my team? Where is the staff room? Thanks.

Use the lowest help level that works for you.

Speaking: New at work

Work with a partner.

Student A: You are new at Sunpark Café. This workplace is fictional. Ask about your first task, the break, your team and one room.

Student B: You are the team leader. Give short answers.

Then change roles.

Follow-up challenge: Add one question: Can you show me? or Who can help me?

Feedback: Your partner gives two points:

One question that was clear.
One small improvement.

Short presentation

Speak for about 30–45 seconds.

My workplace is ... . My first task is ... . We start at ... . I work with ... . One question I still have is ... .

Use notes. You do not need to learn the text by heart.

Writing: A short workplace message

Write a short message of about 50–70 words.

Situation: Tomorrow is your first day at a fictional company called NorthStar Services.

Use this structure:

Subject: First day – two questions

Hi Ms Green,
Thank you for the information about tomorrow. I have two questions. What time do I start? Who is in my team? Also, where should I meet the team? Thank you for your help.
Best wishes,
Jamie

Your version: Keep your own ideas. Do not replace your whole text with an AI-generated version. Use feedback to improve your own text.

Mediation: Help a new student

Your German-speaking partner has this note:

Treffpunkt: Haupteingang. Beginn: 8:30 Uhr. Erste Aufgabe: Kartons sortieren. Ansprechpartnerin: Frau Bell.

Do not translate every word. Explain the important information in simple English.

Start like this:

You meet at ... . You start at ... . Your first task is ... . You can ask ... for help.

Then your partner asks one question in English.

Safety, privacy and AI

Use only fictional names, companies and application data in this course.

Audio or video recordings are voluntary. Keep them private unless your teacher gives a clear, safe task and you agree.

Do not upload private workplace information, personal social-media data or real application documents without permission.

If you use AI for feedback, check facts, sources and corrections. Keep your own text and decide which feedback you use. Do not send personal data to external AI services without permission.

Transfer through pictures

Look at each workplace. Ask one task question, one hours question and one workplace question.

Example: What do I prepare first?

Example: Where are the boxes?

Example: Who can show me the tools?

Use your question patterns again in a new context.

Extra viewing: English at Work box set

Use only a short section chosen by your teacher. The full video is longer.

Viewing mission: Find one phrase for meeting people, one phrase for asking for help and one workplace word.

After the first try, use subtitles or pause the video.

Can-do check

I can ...	Yes	Almost	Not yet
ask about a task	□	□	□
ask about start or break time	□	□	□
ask about my team	□	□	□
ask where something is	□	□	□
ask someone to repeat or show something	□	□	□
write a short workplace message	□	□	□

Next step: Choose one Almost or Not yet item. Practice it once more with a new workplace.

Folgekurs: E9 G - Give information about a workplace

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

Which question asks about a task? (What do I do first?) (!Where is the staff room?) (!Who is in my team?) (!What time is the break?)

Which question asks about working hours? (What time do we start?) (!Who can help me?) (!Where are the tools?) (!What is my first task?)

Which question asks about the team? (Who is in my team?) (!Where is my bag?) (!When is the break?) (!What do I clean?)

Which question asks about a place? (Where is the staff room?) (!Who is my supervisor?) (!What time do we finish?) (!What do I do next?)

Which sentence is a useful follow-up question? (Can you show me, please?) (!I no understand.) (!You show.) (!Task where.)

Which question has the correct word order? (When do we start?) (!When we do start?) (!When start we?) (!Do when we start?)

Which question is correct? (Who is my supervisor?) (!Who my supervisor?) (!Who does my supervisor?) (!Who are my supervisor?)

What should you do if you do not understand an instruction? (Ask the person to say it again.) (!Pretend you understood.) (!Leave without speaking.) (!Guess and never ask.)

What is a good first listening strategy? (Listen for key words and the main idea.) (!Translate every word immediately.) (!Stop after every unknown word.) (!Read a full translation first.)

Which message is suitable for a workplace? (Hi, I have two questions about my first day.) (!Hey give me all info now.) (!I need stuff. Send.) (!Yo what is happening?)

Memory

task	job to do
shift	work period
supervisor	person who leads or supports you
staff room	room for workers
break	short rest time
colleague	person you work with
warehouse	place for storing goods
workshop	place for making or repairing things

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
What do I do first?	task
What time do we start?	hours
Who is in my team?	team
Where is the staff room?	workplace
Can you show me, please?	help
What do I do after that?	follow-up

Kreuzworträtsel

tasks	What word means jobs or things you must do?
shift	What word means a period of work?
team	What word means a group of people who work together?
office	What word can mean a room where people work at desks?
workshop	What word means a place where things are made or repaired?
colleague	What word means a person you work with?

LearningApps

Lückentext

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Workplace picture questions: Choose one workplace picture from this aiMOOC and write four questions: one about tasks, hours, team and place.
Question cards: Make four small cards with the starters What, What time, Who and Where. Add one workplace question to each card.
Mini dialogue: Write a six-line dialogue between a new worker and a team leader. Use at least two questions.
Voice practice: Read four questions aloud twice. A recording is optional and should stay private unless you choose to share it in a protected learning setting.

Standard

Role play at work: Create a two-minute role play in a fictional café, workshop or warehouse. Ask at least four questions and one follow-up question.
Workplace email: Write a 60-word message about a fictional first day. Ask about start time, team and meeting place.
Listening detective: Watch a short section of one video again and collect five useful workplace words. Explain each word with simple English or an example.
Peer feedback: Exchange a short dialogue with a partner. Mark two clear questions and suggest one small grammar improvement.

Schwer

Workplace interview: Interview a trusted adult about typical questions new workers ask. Do not collect private company data. Summarise the useful question types in English.
Three workplaces: Compare a fictional office, warehouse and workshop. Prepare a one-minute presentation with useful questions for each place.
Mediation challenge: Create a short German workplace note with four facts. Give it to a partner, who explains the key information in English without translating every word.
Improve and reuse: Write a first version of a workplace dialogue, get feedback, improve only important points, and then use the improved question patterns in a different fictional workplace.

Lernkontrolle

First-day problem solving: You arrive at a fictional workplace and receive an unclear instruction. Explain which English question you would ask and why it helps.
Question choice: A new worker needs information about a break, a supervisor and a room. Write one suitable question for each need and explain the difference between the question patterns.
Dialogue repair: Improve this dialogue: “What time we start?” – “Eight.” – “Where office?” Explain two changes that make the questions clearer.
Transfer to a new workplace: Choose a workplace not used in the reading. Create four useful questions for a first day and adapt the vocabulary to the new context.
Listening strategy: Explain what you can do when you understand only part of a workplace video. Give three useful strategies and show how one strategy helps with a concrete example.
Communication before perfection: A learner makes a small grammar mistake but the question is understandable. Explain which error you would correct first and why.

Lernnachweis

Für einen Lernnachweis zu diesem Thema ist wichtig:

Du stellst verständliche Fragen zu tasks, hours, team und workplace.
Du nutzt die Grundmuster What do ...?, What time do ...?, Who is ...? und Where is ...?.
Du reagierst auf eine Antwort und kannst mindestens einmal nachfragen.
Du verstehst in einem kurzen Hör- oder Sehtext die Hauptidee und wichtige Schlüsselwörter.
Du schreibst eine kurze strukturierte berufliche Nachricht mit passenden Fragen.
Du kannst Informationen aus einer kurzen deutschen Notiz angeleitet auf Englisch weitergeben.
Du nutzt Feedback, verbesserst wichtige Fehler und verwendest das Muster danach in einer neuen Situation.
Deine Sprache muss vor allem verständlich sein; Akzentfreiheit ist kein Ziel.

OERs zum Thema

Verknüpfte Lernbereiche

Englisch im Beruf

aiMOOC-Projekte

Inhalte werden geladen ...

Mediathek wird aus dem Wiki geladen ...

Frag mich zum aktuellen Lerninhalt oder wähle eine kurze Hilfe.

Textmodus bereit

Sprache