Learning English with CBC

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1 Learning English with CBC Listening Lessons for Intermediate Students Based on CBC Manitoba Radio Broadcasts October 16, 2008 Lesson 29: Teacher s Edition Level: Topic: Skill areas: Language tasks: Benchmark 5 and up Living in Rental Housing Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing Listening listening to a short interview for main ideas, details and inference Speaking participating in a group discussion; expressing opinions; asking questions for information; role playing a dialogue Reading reading letters Writing: making notes; writing a letter to give advice Language competencies: Extension Activities: Vocabulary, Pronunciation, Listening and Speaking Strategies, Sociocultural/sociolinguistic Competence Role playing a landlord tenant dialogue on common tenancy issues Giving advice on tenancy issues using a Dear Abby format Preparing questions for a guest speaker Learning common terms used in a lease Essential Skills 1 : Writing, reading text, working with others, thinking skills, oral communication, problem solving Worksheets 2 : 1. Complete a chart on rental housing issues 2. Use reflexive pronouns to talk about rental housing issues 3. Practise a landlord tenant dialogue 4. Write a response to a Dear Abby letter 5. Practise using common terms from a residential lease Appendices: Transcript of the podcast Dear Abby letters 1 Essential Skills are the skills required to successfully participate in the Canadian Labour Market and they are a natural extension of EAL lessons. In 2008, the Essential Skills that are included in Learning English with CBC lesson plans will be noted on the cover page. 2 Answers to worksheets are in the self-study version of the lesson plan.

2 Manitoba Memo Adequate housing is a basic human need. Yet throughout the world, the United Nations estimates that one billion people live in inadequate housing and 100 million are homeless. While a majority of Canadians are fortunate enough to own their homes or to rent accommodation which is safe and well maintained, that s not the case for everyone. Low income Canadians, newcomers and refugees are among the groups who often face challenges finding suitable housing for their needs. In Manitoba, newcomers and refugees generally start out in rental housing situations. They may rent from a private landlord, a non-profit agency or Manitoba Housing. The Residential Tenancies Branch of the Manitoba government provides information to both landlords and tenants. The Branch can investigate, mediate and help resolve disputes between landlords and tenants. The Branch also oversees the provincial regulations on rent increases. Each year, rent increases must fall within the guidelines set by the government. Tenants can appeal rent increases they do not think are justified. Landlords can apply to raise rents above the guidelines. However, not all rental housing falls under the rent increase guidelines. Pre-listening activities 1. Discuss these questions as a class. What do you think are the main responsibilities of landlords? What do you think are the main responsibilities of tenants? Hand out Worksheet 1 and review the instructions with your students. Ask students to work with a partner to complete the issue chart. Have students share some of the issues they identify with the class. 2. Vocabulary Elicit or present key vocabulary that students need to understand prior to listening to the podcast (see suggested vocabulary and explanations which follow). You can write the words on the board and elicit possible meanings from the class or break students into groups and give each group a few words to review. Groups can then present the vocabulary to the rest of the class. You can also ask students to mark the syllables and stress for each word, identify word families and practise pronouncing the words. You may want to ask students to think of sentences which use the new vocabulary. If your students keep a vocabulary journal, they can copy the vocabulary into their journal. Living in Rental Housing Learning English with CBC Page 2 of 19

3 Vocabulary West Broadway area Manitoba Housing landlord tenant Granite Gates units renovations build a presence stringent rules integral mix array The area of Winnipeg on the west side of Broadway Avenue between Osborne Street and Portage Avenue. Manitoba Housing is a provincial government agency which provides a variety of affordable housing options. This includes subsidized accommodation for families, seniors and single people who are living on low or moderate incomes. A landlord is the owner of a room, apartment, home, office or building which they rent to someone else. A tenant is the person who pays to rent a room, apartment, home, office or building from a landlord. Granite Gates is the name of the property management company that owns several apartment buildings in the West Broadway area. Units are the number of apartments in a building or group of buildings. For example, Granite Gates has 300 rental units in the West Broadway area. Renovating means repairing or improving a home or building. For example, Granite Gates has completed all the renovations or improvements on their buildings in the West Broadway area. To make something more noticeable. For example, Granite Gates has built a presence in West Broadway by fixing up buildings and promoting these buildings as good places to live. Very strict rules which must be obeyed. Integral means a necessary part of something. In housing, policy experts believe it is integral or very important to have a mix of household incomes in an area. The word array is commonly used to describe a group of people or things which is very impressive. For example, there is a wide array or selection of colour options to choose from when you go to a paint store. Living in Rental Housing Learning English with CBC Page 3 of 19

4 3. Predict what the podcast is about In this story, Terry MacLeod interviews a landlord who is involved in improving the safety and attractiveness of a downtown Winnipeg neighbourhood. Can you think of questions Terry might ask the landlord? While-listening activities 1. Introduce the podcast I think he might ask... I don t think he ll ask One thing he might ask is I hope he ll ask about It would be interesting if he asked a question about I can t think of anything Terry would ask. Tell students that in this podcast, they will hear several speakers. They will hear: Marcy Markusa introduction and host Terry MacLeod CBC reporter Sherry Doherty landlord Play the podcast for the first time. 2. Listen for the main idea When students are listening the second and third time, ask them to take notes of the key points Sherry Doherty (the landlord) is making. Tell students that taking notes of key points helps the listener pay closer attention to what is being said. It will also help them remember key details later on. A good note taking strategy involves: listening closely for the main ideas writing down key words or phrases When students feel they have a good grasp of the main points, ask them to write down the main idea Sherry Doherty is trying to get across to listeners in one or two sentences. Have some students share their sentences with the class. Living in Rental Housing Learning English with CBC Page 4 of 19

5 Post-listening activities 1. Review pre-listening predictions Ask students to quickly review their pre-listening predictions. Were they able to predict some of the things Terry MacLeod asked Sherry Doherty? 2. Word confusion Tell students that word confusion happens to all of us, not just learners of the English language. As EAL students know only too well, English isn't the easiest language in the world to learn. Even native speakers confuse words that sound similar or have similar meaning, or sometimes just use the wrong word altogether. Have students listen closely to the podcast one more time and follow the transcript. In lines there are two words in bold. For example, in line 32 we hear intrical but that is not actually a word you will find in a dictionary. Given the context, it s likely this word should be integral. In line 35 the speaker talks about letting the building run array. Array is an actual word. Ask students to check the meaning of array under the Vocabulary section of the lesson. Do they think this meaning fits the context in which the speaker uses the word? What is it she is trying to say? This word could possibly be awry. When something goes awry it means it doesn t go as planned or isn t in the proper position. In this case, only the speaker knows what word and meaning they intended. Tell students that word confusion happens in spoken language when people are thinking on their feet and must find the right word quickly. It s also common when we are in situations which may make us uncomfortable or nervous, like being interviewed on the radio! 3. Using reflexive pronouns Begin with a quick review of reflexive pronouns. Tell students that reflexive pronouns usually refer to the subject of a sentence. In line 28, Sherry Doherty uses the reflexive pronoun ourselves. Ask students if they can think of other examples of reflexive pronouns and write these on the board: myself, yourself, herself, himself, itself, oneself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves Write Sherry s sentence on the board: We ourselves run a low-income housing project in that neighbourhood. Living in Rental Housing Learning English with CBC Page 5 of 19

6 Note that Sherry could have said: We run a low-income housing project in that neighbourhood. Ask students what Sherry accomplished by adding the reflexive pronoun ourselves into her sentence. In this case, the reflexive pronoun is used to place extra emphasis on the subject of the sentence which is we (Granite Gates). Review the table and examples of the use of reflexive pronouns on Worksheet 2 with the class. Then ask students to choose a reflexive pronoun to complete the sentence. They can work individually or in pairs. Take up the answers as a class. Extension activities 1. Role play a landlord / tenant dialogue Review Worksheet 3 with students. Have two students read the example dialogue aloud. After students have had time to practise several different versions of the dialogue, ask each pair to perform one for the class. For variation, you could have students do a second version of the dialogue which is not as calm or polite. For example, the tenant could be very angry and the landlord s role would be to calm them down. Or the landlord could be unhelpful and impatient, and the tenant would have to be patient and not give up. You might want to brainstorm some sentence starters for these dialogues as well. Students can then perform these alternative versions for the class. 2. Give advice on tenancy issues using a Dear Abby format Have students work in pairs or small groups for this activity. Ask students to choose one of the Dear Abby letters from Appendix 2 and write a response. Or alternatively you can assign a letter to each group. Before students begin, brainstorm phrases used to give advice and write these on the board. They may include: I think you should/could I think you ought to The most important thing you need to do/remember is One thing you might do is I think it would be a good idea to Living in Rental Housing Learning English with CBC Page 6 of 19

7 Ask students to read their letters to the class. You may also wish to collect the responses and review them so that you can address common structural errors students are making in a future class. 3. Prepare questions for a speaker Tell students that you are going to invite a speaker from the Residential Tenancies Branch to come to the class. (This is something you can actually do. See the Want to Know More section of the lesson for the website and contact information.) The Branch deals with issues such as security deposits, repairs, the terms and conditions of a lease, eviction notices, privacy concerns, utility bill payments and rent increases. Brainstorm a few questions the class would like to ask the speaker and write these questions on the board. Then ask students to work with a partner and write four additional questions. Have the pairs share their questions with the rest of the class. 4. Learn some common terms used in a residential lease Ask students if they have ever signed a lease. Were they able to understand the terms used in the lease? Tell students that a lease is a legal document and the terms used are often legal terms which can be difficult to understand. Review Worksheet 5 with students. Have students work with a partner to complete the Worksheet. Take up the answers as a class. If you would like to have your class practice completing a standard Manitoba lease after they have completed this activity, you can find a PDF version to print out on the Manitoba government s website: Living in Rental Housing Learning English with CBC Page 7 of 19

8 Want to know more The website of the Residential Tenancies Branch is: The Manitoba government s settlement portal has information on rental accommodation: For information on Manitoba Housing: The University of Winnipeg student newspaper had an interesting story about Granite Gates and the pros and cons of gentrifying the West Broadway neighbourhood. This would be a good story for advanced students to read and discuss: There s also a blog commenting on the Uniter story: The Community Legal Education Association answers common questions about rental situations on its site. The Association also has a law phone-in and lawyer referral program. The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation has a publication for newcomers: ftp://ftp.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/rd-dr/en/ah-la/newcomer.pdf They also have some information available in other languages: (Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external websites) Living in Rental Housing Learning English with CBC Page 8 of 19

9 Worksheet 1: Rental Housing Issues Chart It is important to be able to describe problems or concerns. Do you have the language to describe the kinds of issues you think landlords and tenants may have to deal with? Use point form to list issues that landlords and tenants may face. Issues landlords might have with their tenants - old mattresses and other items are left on balconies Issues tenants might have with their landlords - the hallways in the building are not kept clean Issues tenants might have with other tenants - a neighbouring tenant is too noisy Living in Rental Housing Learning English with CBC Page 9 of 19

10 Worksheet 2: Use Reflexive Pronouns to Talk About Rental Housing Review the following chart on reflexive pronouns. Then complete the sentences below. Some of the sentences have more than one possible answer. For example, you may be able to use the reflexive pronoun (herself) or by + the reflexive pronoun (by herself). In either case, the sentence is correct. Reflexive pronouns myself yourself himself herself itself oneself ourselves yourselves themselves Using Reflexive Pronouns 1. He thinks of himself a responsible landlord. 2. He renovated the apartment himself. He himself renovated the apartment. 3. She lives by herself in a Manitoba Housing unit. Meaning A reflexive pronoun usually refers to the subject of a sentence. He and himself are the same person. He renovated the apartment himself, not a contractor. In this example, the reflexive pronoun is used for emphasis. When you use the word by with a reflexive pronoun, it means alone. 1. You need to call the landlord yourself if your sink isn t draining properly. I can t call for you. 2. I plan to paint the apartment. 3. The apartment is nice enough, but the halls are dark and narrow. 4. I ll go and see the landlord if necessary, but it would be better if you would come too. 5. My mother successfully appealed the rent increase. Nobody helped her. 6. Thanks, but I think we can move the furniture. I don t think we need to hire a moving company. 7. My brother can fix the sink. He s very handy. 8. I told the tenants, You need to take up the fight to clean up the building. You re the only ones who can make a difference. 9. Tenants need to be responsible for keeping their balconies clean. Living in Rental Housing Learning English with CBC Page 10 of 19

11 Worksheet 3: Role Play a Landlord Tenant Dialogue Sometimes we need language to talk to our landlord about a problem with rental housing. Use ideas from the list of common complaints below and role-play examples of landlord-tenant dialogues. Practise the example dialogue first to get you started. Common rental complaints (some are not the landlord s responsibility) clogged toilet cracked window malfunctioning air conditioner leaking faucet beeping smoke detector barking dog down the street cable isn t working pest infestation too hot too cold street lights are out loud traffic at night hole in window screen neighbour s music is too loud Sentence starters: Tenant I m having a problem with Could you please do something about I m having trouble with Example dialogue: Sentence Starters: Landlord What seems to be the problem? How can I help you? How can I be of assistance? Possible landlord responses: Let me see what I can do and get back to you. I ll check into that right away. I m afraid there s nothing I can do about that. Tenant: [Identify yourself and give reason for phone call to the landlord] Hello. This is Chris in apartment # 35. I'm calling about the basement smoke detector. Landlord: [Ask what the problem is] Yes. What seems to be the problem? Tenant: [Describe the problem] The batteries are dead and it's beeping constantly. Landlord: [Tell the tenant what you will or will not be able to do] I'll look into it right away. Living in Rental Housing Learning English with CBC Page 11 of 19

12 Worksheet 4: Write a Response to a Dear Abby Letter For years, many newspapers around the world had an advice column called Dear Abby. Readers wrote to Abby for advice on their problems with everyday human issues. You will find an example of a Dear Abby letter and a typical response in Appendix 2. Choose one of the four Dear Abby letters about tenancy issues. Write a response to this letter using the outline provided. What advice would you give the letter writer? Use the following framework to help you write your letter. Dear: Summarize the problem the writer is facing What is your advice? Close the letter Living in Rental Housing Learning English with CBC Page 12 of 19

13 Worksheet 5: Common Terms Used in Residential Leases The language of legal agreements can be very difficult for most people to understand. But it is important to understand what you are signing. If you don t understand the terms, be sure to ask for assistance. Some of the terms of a standard lease agreement are in the list below. See if you can find the right term to fill in the blanks in the story. There are hints in the text and in the brackets ( ) to help you find the term you are looking for. You can also use your dictionary for English language learners. You don t need to write the term you can write in the number instead. The first paragraph is completed as an example. Terms used in a lease 1. security deposit 2. services and facilities 3. basic rent 4. Residential Tenancies Act 5. signed 6. Residential Tenancy Agreement 7. fixed term 8. periodic leases 9. landlord 10. tenant 11. occupants 12. written consent 13. total rent 14. discounts 15. residential 16. terminate Living in Rental Housing Learning English with CBC Page 13 of 19

14 The Li Family Signs a Lease The Li family recently moved to Winnipeg. They have found an apartment to rent and now need to complete a Residential Tenancy Agreement (#6), which is often referred to as a lease. This is an agreement between a landlord (#9) and a tenant (#10). The Li s lease is for a tenancy. This means that their lease is fixed for one year. It does not go from week to week or month to month. Leases that are for short periods of time are called. The landlord has asked the Li family for a before they move in. The landlord keeps this deposit for as long as the family rents the apartment. If there is no damage done to the apartment the family gets this deposit back when they move out. The is the standard monthly rental charge for the apartment. But sometimes the is more than that amount as it may include other charges. For the Li s, their basic rent plus the cost of a parking space equals their total monthly rent. Unfortunately, their landlord does not offer any (rent reductions). The family will also pay for some additional. For example, they will pay for their phone line and to use the washer and dryer located in the basement of the building. The Li s will be the only of the apartment. If other family members come to live with them, their lease says they must let the landlord know. They have also agreed they will use the apartment for purposes only. If they want to set up any kind of business, they must get from their landlord. The agreement the Li s have signed comes under provincial legislation known as the. The Act describes situations where the tenant or landlord can (end) the lease. To be official, the lease must be and dated by the landlord and the tenant. Living in Rental Housing Learning English with CBC Page 14 of 19

15 Appendix 1: Transcript October 16, 2008 Speaker Podcast Line Marcy Hi I'm Marcy Markusa and you're listening to Learning English with CBC. Many people in Winnipeg s West Broadway area live in rental housing. Some buildings are owned by Manitoba Housing, others are owned by private landlords. How can landlords and tenants work together to improve the safety and 5 appearance of their neighbourhood? Terry MacLeod interviews a landlord who has some ideas on what needs to happen. Terry Sherry Doherty owns the majority of the buildings in what s called Granite Gates, that s in the West Broadway neighbourhood, and she s here now. Hello there. 10 Sherry Good morning. Terry Now you have about what, 300 units in this neighbourhood right, in a number of buildings? Sherry Yes we do. Um we ve been actually building our presence in the this area since Terry And you ve recently been doing renovations on your buildings, new windows, new exteriors, new lawn, new fences, those kinda things, right? Sherry Yes, actually we ve been trying to build up our presence and um really just um solidifying the fact that ah we are a presence in the 20 neighbourhood. Terry So what would you like Manitoba Housing to do? What do you want them to change? Living in Rental Housing Learning English with CBC Page 15 of 19

16 Sherry Well I guess a number of things. What we d like them to do is actually place more stringent management policies on their buildings. Now that comes to a number of things. Number one, is making sure that their um their tenants ah make keep their their balconies and their areas clean. I mean we ourselves run a low income housing um project complex in that neighbourhood and ah we have great people, people who care for their properties, people that participate in the community, living in those buildings and they are a welcome sense of the intrical mix of the people in our neighbourhood and the thing is that we are able to show that just because you are low income doesn t mean that you have to run run your building um array Living in Rental Housing Learning English with CBC Page 16 of 19

17 Appendix 2 Here is an example of a Dear Abby letter which appeared in the Bangkok Post 3 : Dear Abby: We have lived in a small apartment complex for four years. The family next door has lived here a little longer. We get along well with our neighbours and respect each other s boundaries. However, I have a habit that I fear may be inappropriate, and I would like your opinion. Our neighbours subscribe to the local newspaper, which is delivered very early every morning, long before they get up. I m an early riser and I always hear it hit their front porch. As soon as it does, I reach over and "borrow" it. I always fold it carefully and place it on their porch before they wake up. Am I doing wrong by sneaking a peek from their daily newspaper? I hope to read your response in their paper. Sneak-a Peek Neighbour Dear Sneak-a-Peek: Yes, the paper belongs to your neighbours. Since they pay for the subscription, they have a right to receive it fresh off the press, not after it s been rifled through by you. (Don t assume they can t tell.) Ask if they mind you "borrowing" their newspaper and offer to split the cost of their subscription. It s the honourable thing to do. Abby 3 This example comes from The Bangkok Post Educational Services: Living in Rental Housing Learning English with CBC Page 17 of 19

18 Choose one of the following letters and write your response using the outline in Worksheet 4. Letter #1 Dear Abby: I live in an apartment complex where the management company s rules are stringent. Our lease is very clear no pets allowed. Here s my dilemma. An elderly woman recently moved in next door to me and she owns a cat. She has tried to hide it from her neighbours, but I can hear the meows very clearly at times. The cat isn t bothering me, but I am worried that if the management company finds out, they will insist she gives away the cat or they will terminate her lease. What should I do? Should I say something to my neighbour about this or should I do nothing? Quiet as a mouse Letter #2 Dear Abby: Several of the tenants in my block have been talking and we have found out that we have common problems in our suites. The faucets leak, we are too hot in winter and too cold in summer and the hallways are not kept clean. We have all called the landlord individually about these problems but there has been little action taken. We are thinking about calling a meeting to discuss our common concerns and asking our landlord to attend. But some tenants are nervous. They fear that if we create a fuss, the landlord might decide to kick us out of the building. Do you think we should push ahead and try to organize this meeting? I read your column regularly and I need your advice! Can t take it any more Living in Rental Housing Learning English with CBC Page 18 of 19

19 Letter #3 Dear Abby: My neighbour s TV is very loud during the day. I know he s a senior citizen and can t hear very well, but this is a problem for me. I work shifts and I need to sleep during the day. I ve tried earplugs, but sometimes I can still hear the TV and can t sleep. What should I do? Tired in Suite 822 Letter #4 Dear Abby: I came to Manitoba as a Somalian refugee. I am a single parent with two sons, ages 8 and 13. I have had a lot of difficultly finding housing in a good neighbourhood. I am beginning to wonder if it is because I am a black, single Mom with two sons. I know I can t be legally discriminated against, but I think that my situation makes potential landlords nervous. I am a good parent and my boys are responsible. We need a good place to live. What can I do? Not sure where to turn Living in Rental Housing Learning English with CBC Page 19 of 19