CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
ORGANISING A CONTEST IN ENGLISH
TEST-LESSON
5TH FORM
WHAT? WHERE? WHEN?
LONDON
Aim:
to check the assimilation of the material about London.
Problems:
1. To form the representations of the world standard of English language;
2. To develop:
a) abilities to understand English;
b) participation in a dialogue;
c) interest in the world’s diversity;
3. To create an atmosphere of pupils’ communicative development in the foreign language.
Visual aids:
1. Map of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; 2. Maps of London (on the desks); 3.
Pictures and photos of London; 4. Magic box; 5. Magic envelopes and pupils’ envelopes;
6. Treble clef; 7. Spinning-top; 8. Question-cards; 9. Stars, made of red paper;
squares, made of green paper; triangles, made of yellow paper.
Beginning:
In the classroom there are two large tables for pupils (for each team). Between the tables
there is a little table on which the spinning-top and question cards are placed.
Teacher:
We are going to play the game “What? Where? When?” I want to introduce the pupils. We
have two teams. The Yellow team! (They have yellow hats) The captain of it is... (The
captain says a few words about the pupils of his team). The Green team! (They have green
hats) The captain of it is... (The captain says a few words about the pupils of his team).
Each pupil has got an envelope for stars, squares and (maybe) triangles. As we play the game, we have no marks. We have got these figures instead of them. At the end of the game we’ll count them and learn the winner! On this table there are a lot of questions around the spinning-top. They are different but all of them are devoted to London. The captains of the teams will help me to choose the numbers of questions. I have a preliminary warm up question: “What do you think about when you talk about London?”
Pupils:
(watching video) Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Regent’s Garden and so on.
Teacher:
Nice! Beautiful! Perfect! Splendid! Good! Marvellous! Brilliant! Magnificent!
Now let’s begin. The teams start guessing in turns. We draw lots and the first question
is for the ... team. I would remind you that there are only 30 seconds to answer the
question.
Questions:
1. How was London founded?
2. Who was William the Conqueror?
3. What is V&A? (map)
4. Are there any libraries in London? (map)
5. What library was destroyed in the Great Fire of London? (map)
6. What is Fleet Street famous for? (map)
7. What is at Downing Street number 10? (map)
8. London Sightseeing Tour (Writing for 2 minutes).
9. Are there any parks in London? (map)
10. Which museums are most important in London? (map)
11. Why is the hour bell in Clock Tower called Big Ben? (map)
Listening Comprehension:
1. Listen to the text. What is the problem of transport?
2. Listen to the dialogue. What place are the children talking about?
Video-Questions:
1. What calamities did London suffer in 1665 and 1666?
2. What palace is this? What important buildings are there near it?
3. What square is in the centre of London?
4. When does the flag fly on top of this Tower? When does a light burn above Big Ben?
5. What building was the first in the place where London is situated?
6. Comment on the following episode. (Watch without sound)
7. How many bridges are there in London? What bridge is this?
8. What does the National Gallery present?
9. What can you say about this church?
10. What event is this? Where and when did it happen? What do you know about this building?
11. When was the Museum built?
Interesting Questions:
1. Question-Mistake. Look at the photos on the wall. Some of them contain mistakes. Why? What are they?
2. Picture-Question. Look at the picture. Is it in America or in Britain? How do you know?
3. Magic Box. What is there in the Box?
4. Postcard-Question. Read the postcard. What place of interest did Jane describe?
5. Question-Surprise. (A question from the guests)
6. Musical Interval.
Teacher (during the game):
1. Well done! That’s right! That’s quite correct! That’s better! There’s no
difficulty about that! He is good at speaking about... He has no equal! Very gifted pupil!
He has the flash of wit! You are very brainy! You have a good memory! What a capable
person! What a witty pupil! Very interesting!
2. You have made a mistake. Say it correctly, please.
3. The time’s up. Pens down. Go on, please. Just think a little. It’s your turn to
answer the question. Speak louder! Perhaps... Maybe... Possible...
Pupils sing the final song, the teacher collects the envelopes and gives them to the guests. They count stars (“5s”), squares (“4s”), triangles (“3s”) and write marks on the envelopes.
Teacher:
Dear children! You have demonstrated your abilities in English, your knowledge, your great
industry in your work together. In my opinion, the captains are good leaders. I think our
meeting-game has been a fruitful one. I believe we can go home sure of a job well done.
Thank you! Take your envelopes and look at the marks for the TEST-Lesson “ London”.
Commentary
When pupils have a question of the first type, they discuss it for 30 seconds and then the captain points to a pupil who will answer and show places of interest on the map. Questions for listening comprehension are recorded on the tape:
Text 1. “The problem of transport”
All large cities have a problem of transport. There are so many cars, lorries and buses in the streets that people get in a traffic jam. They think that cars shouldn’t run in the centre of the city. For example, Oxford Street, London, one of the most important and busy roads in the capital, is closed to private cars. This helps traffic to move more freely and prevents traffic jams. But you can’t do this for all the important roads. (Rogova G.V. “English in two years” Teacher’s book p. 87)
Text 2. Dialogue
A: What luck! To find someone with two extra tickets!
B: Yes, and such good seats – the fifth row of the stalls! From here we’ll have an excellent view of the stage.
A: What a pity our theatre is so small.
B: No wonder. The building was constructed in the 18th century.
A: In what theatre does the company work in London?
B: In the Old Vic – one of the most popular theatres of the capital.
A: Let’s have a look at the programme.
B: Oh, the cast is splendid – it’s an all-star cast, in fact.
A: Hush! The lights are going down and the curtain is rising. (Golytsinsky Y. “Spoken English” p. 296)
Interesting
Questions
1. Picture-question
Look at this picture. Is it in America or in Britain? How do you know?
2. On the wall there are some pictures of London with mistakes, because the red colour is changed into the yellow colour. For example, guardsmen of Changing of the
Guard have got yellow coats, English buses are yellow on the other picture and so on. Pupils must point the false things and explain.
3. In the Magic Box there is a photo of an English bus. Pupils must guess it with the help of the following:
“There are two main kinds of it in London. If you need to go from one part of London to another, you must buy a ticket and get in. It is red and has one or two decks.”
4. The postcard pictures four places of interest in London (Houses of Parliament, St. Paul’s and the City, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge). Pupils read the message on it:
Hello, Jane!
Yesterday I visited one of the most beautiful places in London. It is said to be one of the finest pieces of architecture in Europe. It is the work of the famous architect Sir Christopher Wren. It was destroyed in the Great Fire and then rebuilt. From far away you can see the huge dome with a golden bell and a cross on the top. After looking round you can climb 263 steps to the Whispering Gallery, which runs round the dome.
Bye, Tom. June, 2000, London.
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Практический курс, Мн., OOO “Попурри”, 1997
Наталия Николаевна ФИЛЯРОВСКАЯ
преподаватель английского языка Высшей
гимназии Салахова г. Сургут