CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

Topic: “It’s a Small World”

Grade 10

LESSONS 1–2

Subject: “Fellow citizens of the world”

Skills: practising analytical reading; critical listening; creative writing; sharing ideas; expressing opinions; making cross-cultural comparisons

Objective: By the end of the lesson students should be able to differentiate tenses in contextual surroundings and express their opinions confidently in the group

Equipment: tape-recorder, textbook

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world:
ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

John Kennedy

PROCEDURE:

Warm-up

Questions to consider:

1. Do you have stereotypes about some groups of people?
2. How can any stereotype be harmful?

Before you read:

A. Write down as many facts about Spain and the Spanish people as you can.

Example:

a. There are many banks in Switzerland.
b. The Italians eat a lot of pizza.
c. The Russians have a wonderful ballet school.

B. Do you know what these words and phrases mean? Use a dictionary to check your work.

Spain, Spanish, a Spaniard
tо improve
as a matter of fact
to have fun
a spare moment
to fail an exam
challenging experience
turned out to be
carefree

TEXTS

Letter 1

Dear Emily,
We leave for Spain in three weeks! It’ll be a great trip because we’re stopping in London for five days before we go on to Madrid. Classes begin on September 15th. I’ll be taking Spanish language and literature, world history and biology – not a heavy load. It’s going to be a fun and easy year in the land of corrida. The classes will mostly be in Spanish, so my fluency will have improved by the end of the year. I’m going to share my room with two guys – Brazilian and Japanese. Everyone thinks that all year long we’ll be having fun – singing and playing guitars and serenading the seсioritas on their balconies. And that siesta in the middle of the day will be fantastic. Tell Mom and Dad I’ll write them as soon as I get a spare moment.

Love, Mark

Letter 2

Dear Emily,
Well, my first term at the University of Madrid is just about over, and things are going OK. As a matter of fact, I’ve been studying all afternoon and I’m going to study until midnight. I need a break so I’m writing you. It has been a challenging experience to live in a foreign country. I haven’t had time for any siesta yet! I’m always studying or going shopping for food, or cooking because we love to eat. Spanish students study very hard, and we have only had one party. My Spanish is getting better. Everyone is really friendly. But there’s not too much singing in the streets or serenading the girls. No one has time. I’ve bought presents for everyone but I don’t have time to get to the post office. Enjoy your holidays!

Love, Mark

С. As you read, take notes and fill in the chart.

Letter 3

Dear Emily,
The school year finished two weeks ago, and I got my marks. I did much better than I thought I would, but I had to work very hard. I was sure I was going to fail biology because I had failed the first exam. I never thought it would be so difficult. I left Madrid last week and on the plane I was thinking about how different Spain turned out to be from what I had expected. I thought the Spanish people were all carefree and happy-go-lucky. Well, the Spanish people I met were friendly, but they were also business-like and serious. They offered me a good example! Spain turned out not to be the land of corrida.

Love, Mark

After you read:

GRAMMAR

Section 1

Look again at the sentences of Mark’s letter. Write the events in the order in which they happened or will happen.

1. I’ve been studying all afternoon and I’m going to study until midnight.

A. I’ve been studying all afternoon.
B. I need to take a break. I’m writing you.
C. I’m going to study until midnight.

2. I was sure I was going to fail biology, because I had failed the first exam.

A. _______________________________
B. _______________________________
C. _______________________________

3. I’ve bought presents for everyone but I’m going to send them after the New Year, because I don’t have time to go to the post office.

A. _______________________________
B. _______________________________
C. _______________________________

Section 2

Mark is back in England and is telling his friends about his experiences. Rewrite Mark’s sentences. Use the indicated future in the past constructions.

1. I imagine that I’ll fall in love with a Spanish girl, (would)

Example: I imagined that I would fall in love with a Spanish girl, but I didn’t.

2. I think I’ll make a lot of new friends (would), and I did.

3. I’m sure I won’t have to study very much (would), but I had to study a lot.

LISTENING

Pre-listening stage

Words to understand:

giftie gift, present
blunder a rude mistake
notion idea

Oh would some Power the giftie gives us
To see ourselves as others see us!
It would from many a blunder free us
And foolish notion.

Robert Burns

1. Listen to the text on the tape.

We are not able to see those who are very close to us as they are. The same is true when we look at ourselves. It is very difficult for anybody to be objective about his/her own character. It is very good for us to be objective from time to time. Every country considers its own way of life the normal one and tends to criticise others, if it’s different in any way. And, unfortunately, our picture of the people of other countries is often wrong. Differences between people, of course, exist and will always be there. THE WORLD WOULD BE A DULL PLACE if all the different nationalities behaved alike.
There are five billion people in the world. They live on the snow and ice of the far North and in the tropical jungles on the equator, and they are all different. They build cathedrals, play football, get married, have prisons, tell jokes, write symphonies, and go to the moon. We are the only creatures that can change our world, and we are the only creatures that can choose either to take care of our world or to destroy it.

2. Circle Т (true) or F (false) statements.

1. Every person can be objective and truthfull about his/her own character.
2. Every nationality thinks they are the worst people.
3. Fortunately, our picture of other people is always right.
4. Sometimes we can’t see the minuses of people close to us.
5. All people of the world are exactly alike.
6. People can see in the dark like cats and fly hundreds of miles like birds.
7. People are born to destroy the world they live in.

SPEAKING

Comprehension Activities

A. Pair-work

Discuss with your partner your own beliefs that have changed as a result of travel, living in a foreign country or meeting people from a group you had never known before.

Ideas to consider:

– Where did the stereotypes come from?
– What causes a stereotype to be broken?
– How can stereotypes be harmful?

B. Role-play “Try to Guess”

Class splits into 2 groups: A and B. Each group chooses a spokesperson, who gives a description of a stereotype.

Group A (English people)
Group В (American people)

Example: They are thin and silent.

Their clothes are also reserved – grey and brown tweed suits.
They eat porridge, bacon and eggs, smoke pipes and ride in red buses.

C. Discussion

Whole-class work

The teacher stimulates a whole-class discussion around the problem:

– Are these descriptions fair? realistic? up-to-date?
– People are afraid of what is different.
– What are the positive and negative qualities of your nationality?

hard-working/lazy/active
don’t like foreigners/open and friendly/hospitable
have/don’t have a (good) sense of humour
honest/dishonest
talk a lot/reserved
polite/rude
greedy/generous
big-eaters/small-eaters

WRITING

Write a short essay on a stereotype you have experienced and later changed or modified, or someone else’s stereotype of you.

Topic 1. I used to misunderstand... but now my point of view has changed

Topic 2. People believed that I... but they have had to change their views.

Topic 3. I have learned a great deal about the dangers of stereotyping.

Summarising

Listening and singing the song.

(optional)

WE ARE THE WORLD

 There comes a time when we hear a certain call
And the world must come together as one.
There are people dying, and it’s time to lend a hand
To life, the greatest gift of all.

We can’t go on, pretending day by day
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change;
We are all a part of God’s great big family,
And the truth, love is all we need.

Refrain:

We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving.
There’s a choice we’re making, we’re saving our own lives,
It’s true, we’ll make a better day, just you and me.

LESSONS 3–4

Subject: “Language is a bridge between people”

Skills development: reading with notes, listening for special information, distinguishing between fact and opinion, public-speaking practice, working co-operatively

Equipment: tape-recorder

PROCEDURE:

Feed-back

Linking the lesson with the previous grammar material.
Guess “Who?” Class Survey – Review of Tenses

A. Write down a true statement about yourself.

Example: I live on the third floor of my flat.
I have many friends abroad.
I visited France last summer.
I’m going to study German next year.
I have already passed my biology exam.

В. Collect these statements and write them all on the board.

С. Students must find out who these statements are about by asking their classmates questions.

Example: Do you live on the third floor?
Have you passed your biology exam?
Are you going to study German?

Warm-up

Idiomatic Language

Compare different ways the same idea is expressed in different languages.

Objective:

Students should bear in mind that there are very few idioms in different languages that are exactly parallel in meaning and use.

READING

How to develop reading skills (for teacher’s attention)

1. Establish the topic
2. Emphasise general comprehension
3. Adapt the text to the students and their interests
4. Work on the relationship between content and experience.

A. Do you know what these words and phrases mean? Talk about their meanings with a partner. Then use a dictionary to check your work.

В. Use the words in activity A to complete these sentences. Change the form of a word if necessary.

1. I have nothing to _______ today. There’s nothing to tell.
2. He helps the family in many ways. _______, he walks the dog and washes the dishes.
3. No one understands Pablo’s _______ feelings. No one knows his deepest feelings.
4. They aren’t _______ anything. Their hands are empty.
5. Pablo is Bolivian. He is ___________ in Spanish, but he doesn’t speak English like an American.
6. It rained for six days. Then the sun _______ shone.
7. It is difficult for Pablo to _______ his thoughts in English. He cannot explain what he thinks.
8. Pablo lives with the Hutchinson family. His _______ family lives in Bolivia.
9. The Hutchinson family is nice to Pablo. _______, he helps them.
10. It _______ that no one understands Pablo’s feelings, but that’s not true. Many people do understand him.

WEATHER OR NOT

Pablo Romero is a sixteen-year old boy from Bolivia. He speaks Spanish and a little bit of English. He has thick black hair and dark brown eyes.
Pablo lives in the United States now, in Little Rock, Arkansas, with the Hutchinsons. They are not his real family. His real family is back in Bolivia. They cannot come to America because they have jobs and responsibilities in their country and aren’t able to leave. However, they want their son to have an American education and become fluent in English.
Pablo goes to Little Rock High School and wants to be an engineer when he graduates.
He misses his family and wishes to see them. It seems that no one understands his true feelings. It is difficult to listen to English all the time and then to express his thoughts in English. His American family is very nice to him and helps him in every way. In turn, Pablo does little things to help the family. For instance, he takes the dog for a walk every morning and every evening. When he comes back from the morning walk, he tells Mrs. Hutchinson about the weather. This tells her how to dress her four-year-old son. She always asks Pablo how the weather is. On Tuesday, Mrs. Hutchinson asks, “How’s the weather today?”
Pablo answers, “It rain”.
“No, Pablo, in English we say, ‘It’s raining’”.
On Wednesday, it rains again.
“It’s raining today,” reports Pablo.
On Thursday, it snows. On Friday, the sun finally shines. The sky is blue and it’s not too cold. Pablo walks the dog for over an hour. He is very happy that he doesn’t have to wear boots or carry an umbrella. He comes into the house with a big smile on his face.
“How’s the weather today?” asks Mrs. Hutchinson.
“Oh, today I am very happy”, replies Pablo, “there’s no weather.”

A. Read the first two paragraphs of the story. Then stop and complete this chart:

Use your notes from the chart to write a paragraph that tells how you and Pablo are alike. Write another paragraph that tells how you and Pablo are different. Share your paragraphs with the class. Which student in the class is the most like Pablo? Who is the most different?

В. Find these sentences in the story.

1. Write out the sentence that tells why Pablo is living in the United States.
2. Write out the sentence that tells how Pablo feels about his family.
3. Write out the sentences that tell how Pablo helps the Hutchinsons.
4. Write out the sentences that tell what the weather is like on Friday.

After you read:
Comprehension Check

A. Write T (true) if the sentence is true. Write F if it is false. Correct the sentence if it is false.

1. Pablo never helps his American family.
2. He takes the dog for a walk in the afternoon.
3. Mrs. Hutchinson always asks Pablo about the weather.
4. Pablo enjoyed his morning walk on Thursday.
5. When the sun shines we say there’s no weather.

В. Agree or disagree with the following statements. Write one or two sentences to tell your reasons for each opinion. Look at the story if you need ideas.

It is good for all people to live in a different country when they are teenagers.
It is never easy to live with people you do not know.
It’s not a good idea to help your family do things around the house, because you must study.

Pablo is not intelligent because he says that there’s no weather.

С. You want to know all about Pablo. Ask five questions that will give you information about him. Use these words to start your questions.

1. Who; 2. Where; 3. When; 4. What; 5. Why

Exchange questions with a partner.

LISTENING

A.

The Development of English

About 2,500 years ago a tribe called the Celts arrived in the British Isles. By the time the Romans invaded Britain in 55 BC, a number of Celtic languages had developed. For the next 500 years the Romans tried hard to subdue the country and its language. The Romans spoke Latin. A great many Latin words found their way into the English language. Later the Angles and Saxons invaded Britain. We call the language they spoke Anglo-Saxon or Old English. In 1066 AD the Normans invaded. They came from Normandy in France and brought their language with them. Slowly Old English and Norman French mixed together into something which we call now Middle English.
The next big change came because of printing. William Caxton started printing books in London. But he faced that problem: what current English dialect to use for printing. He took the easy way out: he chose his own dialect, the dialect of London. In the last two centuries technology has left its mark on the English language. New words have come into the language from newspapers, films, radio and television: radar, laser, heavy metal, rock music, punk and so on.

В. Listen and complete the chart below.

Text for Discussion

Kim Lee is a student from Korea. He studies English in America, but he has a big problem: he can’t understand what Americans say. He made up some rules to solve this problem.

1. Don’t be nervous. English is not your native language. If you feel nervous, it will make your partner uncomfortable. Treat Americans as your native people.

2. Follow your partner’s feelings. If he laughs after speaking, you should laugh too, because it means he told you a joke. Americans usually laugh themselves after they tell a joke. On the other hand, if a speaker is serious, you should be serious too.

3. The third thing is that you must not be silent. You must show your reaction. You can just say “Really?” in any situation. If you say “Really?” a speaker will believe you understand what he is speaking about.

4. Here is another rule to follow: repeat the last word a speaker says. For example, if an American says: “I am going to see the movie” very quickly, repeat after him: “Movie?” And everything will be OK.

5. Finally, there is one more important thing. Follow my rules, but don’t forget that you must make every effort to improve your English. These are simply more opportunities to practice English.

SPEAKING

Communicative Activities

A. Problems to Solve

“Experts” are chosen to answer the questions.
The teacher initiates a whole-class brainstorm on the language problem.

1. What will you do if native speakers laugh at your accent?

a. will you give up?
b. will you blame your poor English?
c. (other)

2. Are Kim Lee’s rules helpful for you?

3. Can they be seriously understood?

В. Personal Questionnaire (work alone)

What are pluses and minuses of the following methods of learning a foreign language?

___ translation
___ working with grammar books
___ practising phrases from a phrase book
___ reading novels with the help of a dictionary
___ pronunciation practice
___ watching foreign videos

What point is most important for you in learning a language?

С. Put the list in order of importance. Work in groups. Defend your viewpoint.

D. Follow-up

All lists are collected by the “experts group” and analysed. Results of the survey are announced.

Homework

Write down some suggestions for effective language learning.

Example: Listen to tapes on the cassette-recorder.
Learn vocabulary by heart. __________________?

By Nina Protopopova, School No. 1232, Moscow