'Retail vocabulary' tutor notes

This module is designed specifically to help adults who are studying to improve their basic skills in the workplace. However, we very much hope that any adult who has retail-related responsibilities or an interest in consumer affairs will find this material useful and engaging.

After lots of consultation with tutors, professional bodies, workplace providers and the votes you cast over the summer of 2003 we have shortlisted childcare, care, catering / hospitality and construction trades as the other four workplace vocabulary areas we will be focusing on. We chose these five on the basis of your votes and your feedback and because we felt they offered lots of scope to be of interest to people in their daily lives as well as at work.

The primary aim of the module is to enable learners to 'spell correctly words used most often in work and daily life', but the exercises within this module cover a multitude of other Level 1 curriculum points (please see below).

Other areas on the site which particularly link in with some of the learning points covered in this module are:
'Root words'
'Prefixes'
'Suffixes'
'Look, Say, Cover, Write and Check'

How does this tie in with the curriculums?

• England
  Ww/L1.1 - 'spell correctly words used most often in work, studies and daily life'.
  Rw/L1.3 - 'recognise and understand an increasing range of vocabulary'.
  Also -
  Wt/L1.6 / Ws/L1.1 / Ww/L1.2 / Rw/L1.1/
• Wales
  As England.
• Northern Ireland
  As England.
• Scotland
  See www.aloscotland.com for details of the Scottish curriculum.

In the Skillswise module you'll find:

Retail vocabulary factsheets
There are four factsheets in this module. The first two are simply word lists, while the third factsheet looks at mnemonics, what they are and how to use them. The fourth one offers some hints and tips on ways to remember spellings.
If you or your learners would like to contribute their mnemonics or tips for spelling and vocabulary please email them to skillswise.feedback@bbc.co.uk

Retail vocabulary crossword
This is an interactive crossword that sits within the game page and encourages learners to practise their spelling and understanding of words often used in retail.

Retail 'Look, say, cover, write and check' game
This is an interactive variation on the 'Look, say, cover, write and check' method. Learners can choose a retail word list and then see different objects come out to cover the words. There are 3 attempts to get the word right before the next word will appear. This adds more of a game quality and challenge to the activity.
NB: 'People's Choice' contains retail-themed word lists suggested by students via our messageboard or emails - so encourage your students to put together a list of 10 retail words and send it in.

Retail vocabulary quiz
A three level quiz for learners to test their understanding of retail vocabulary. Level A is the easiest and level C the hardest.

There is a system in place that allows students to print out a certificate if they score 50% or over in the quiz. This appears as a link on the results page - click on the link and the certificate will appear in a new window. Students can write their name on the certificate once it is printed.

Retail vocabulary worksheets
Here you'll find loads of printable exercises for further practice. There are worksheets on proofreading, synonyms, antonyms, homophones, silent letters, gap filling and writing a dialogue.

If you have any comments on these worksheets, or if you would like to contribute a worksheet of your own, please do get in touch at skillswise.feedback@bbc.co.uk

Technical help:

To get the most out of this topic area you need the following 'plug-ins':

• Flash
  The game in this module uses the Flash browser plug-in. This is free to download and should only take a few minutes. You can follow the BBC WebWise instructions to download it to your machine.
  Find out more.
  If you don't have Flash the same learning points are covered in the quiz and in the worksheets and factsheets.

If you are new to the web, why not try the BBC WebWise online course, Becoming WebWise? It's free, you can do it in your own time from any computer and it will take you through everything you need to know to use the web successfully in your teaching.
Find out more about WebWise.

You can find out more about the technical requirements for Skillswise in our Help - Technical Information section.

Taking it further:

With Skillswise:
Don't forget to check out the Skillswise Lesson plans and Teaching inspirations areas for more ideas about teaching vocabulary.
If you have any worksheets or ideas about teaching vocabulary, especially in any of the four work areas we will be looking at (building trades, retail, catering / hospitality and childcare) don't forget to share! Just email us at skillswise.feedback@bbc.co.uk

On the web:
We have only been able to find a couple of resources which help with teaching retail vocabulary. If you know of any great online resources, please do let us know at skillswise.feedback@bbc.co.uk
We can, however, offer you a range of links that should provide you with a wealth of retail related materials you can adapt and use in class.

• Watchdog
  BBC Watchdog provides advice for consumers and explores issues which learners working in the retail sector may face. The site may be used as a resource to find different topics reflecting acronyms and jargon that a learner may encounter.
   
• Sector Skills Council for Retail
  Skillsmart helps learners develop skills needed for a retail career and provides information on training courses available as well as careers advice.
   
• BBC Business News
  BBC News provides lots of information on British retail establishements and employment news. Much of this information could be adapted by tutors to inspire worksheets and lessons based on retail vocabulary.
   
• Skillswise Numbers
  The Skillswise 'whole numbers' section contains a broad range of activites to help learners develop the arithmetic skills which are essential when working in a retail environment.
   

Please note that the BBC is not responsible for the content of other websites.

Do you know of any great online resources for practising care vocabulary? Tell us about them!