"Англомовні Країни" (The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)

Фрагмент уроку з англійської мови у 9 класі

My Acquaintance with the United Kingdom of Great                                                             Britain and Northern Ireland

Teaching Objectives:

To improve the pupils’ skills in speaking, listening on the basis of a video-film, to teach them to use the material of previous lessons in monological and dialogical speech, to involve the pupils in the process of English communication, to create favourable atmosphere

Educational objectives:

To expand the pupils’ knowledge of the geographical position of the UK; to get pupils acquainted with some peculiarities of the way of life in different parts of the country, with the role of the British Royal Family in the society and with the features of the British character; to teach pupils to respect other people’s traditions

Developing objectives:

To develop the skills of group work, the logical way of thinking, to teach pupils to make conclusions, to develop their imagination, to promote pupils’ intellectual curiosity

Type of the lesson:

Non-standard, a lesson-conference, a summary lesson on the topic «The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland»

Equipment and materials:

The map of the UK, the portraits of the members of the British Royal Family, cards for group work, video-film «Window on Britain 2», the  mind-map on the topic « the UK», CD with the songs «Happy New Year» and «Jingle Bells», the placard «The British Character»

                The Procedure of the Lesson

I. Greeting. Introduction.

T: Good morning, dear boys and girls. I am glad to greet you at our English lesson. The subject of our lesson is «My Acquaintance with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland». But it isn’t a usual lesson. Imagine that you are not  just the pupils of the ninth form. You are the students who are participating in an Intensive English Course at Richmond School in England. You have learnt a lot about the country, its geographical position, culture, the way of life of the people, their customs and traditions. And now we are having a summarizing conference. You have to demonstrate your knowledge, to discuss different problems, to ask and answer the questions, to give your opinions and make conclusions. So, let’s start our conference.

II. Warming-up.

T: First of all, as you are the learners of English I’d like to know your answers to these questions:

1. Why is it very important to learn English nowadays?

Possible answers:

P1: English is the language of international communication.

P2: in order to become a good specialist in any field.

P3: English is the language of diplomacy, business and finance.

P4: English is the language of computers and sport.

P5: English is necessary to get education or job abroad.

P6: English is necessary when you travel.

2. What are the most widespread difficulties in learning English?

Possible answers:

P1: English Tenses.

P2: English pronunciation and spelling.

P3: the structure of English sentences.

P4: English Grammar rules.

3. What are the ways of improving the English language skills?

Possible answers:

P1: I think that one of the ways is to read authentic English texts.

P2: to read the English literature in the original.

P3: to communicate with the native-speakers of English.

P4: to learn grammar rules and practice in translating from Russian into English

T: Thank you for your answers. I think that everybody agrees that the main thing is to practice in English every day. A proverb says: « Practice makes perfect. » I want you to know that the rise of English is a remarkable success story. When Julius Caesar landed in Britain nearly 2000 years ago, English didn’t exist. Today English is used by at least 750 million people. It has become the language of the planet, the first truly global language. So we can say that all of us are English a little bit. English is the synonym of something qualitative, refined and stable.

III. Brainstorming.

T: So, what is the word “English” associated with in the minds of people all over the world? Let’s make up word-combinations with this word.

T: Now, tell me, please, what people all over the world usually think of or imagine when they hear these word- combinations.

Possible answers:

P1: English home – We imagine a beautiful house with a fireplace in it and a small garden around it.

P2: English traditions – We know that English keep their traditions with great honor. I think of the most popular holiday in Great Britain, Christmas.

P3: English breakfast is associated with porridge or bacon and eggs.

P4: English tea – We know that English are the greatest tea-drinkers in the world. They like to organize tea-parties.

P5: English pudding – It is the oldest and most favorite dish of the British people.

P6: English weather – It is very changeable. It often rains. Weather is a very popular subject of conversation in Great Britain.

P7: English gentleman – We imagine a man in a costume with a round black hat on his head and a stick in his hand.

P8: English detective stories – Everybody knows Arthur Conan Doyle and his       « Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson» and Agatha Christie with her Miss Marple.

P9: English lawn – Great Britain is famous for its lawns. The lawn was invented about 300 years ago.

P10: English kinds of sport – We know that football, lawn tennis, golf and cricket are truly English kinds of sport.

P11: English manners – The English people are known to be restrained, stiff and conservative.

T: Excellent! I can say that you know a lot about Great Britain.

ІV. Speaking. The parts of the United Kingdom

T: You know that the United Kingdom isn’t a unitary state. It consists of some parts. How many parts does it consist of? What are they?

P: It consists of three parts. They are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

T: You were divided into 4 groups. The members of each group had to prepare short reports about different parts of the country: group 1 – about England, group2 – about Scotland, group3 – about Wales, group4 – about Northern Ireland. Are you ready? The reports will be followed by small tests. Use the map of the UK while making your reports. While listening to the reports try to remember as many facts as you can. I consider that you will get to know a lot of interesting facts about the United Kingdom.

Group1                                   England

England is the largest part of the UK. Over 46 million people of the population of the UK live in England. Some people call it “a land of sleepy rural beauty”. It is in the central and southern parts of Great Britain. The coast of England is washed by the North Sea, the Irish Sea, the English Channel and the Strait of Dover. This influences greatly the climate which is damp and mild. The surface of England is flat. The longest and most important river is the Thames. The capital of the UK, London, stands on it. Oxford and Cambridge, two famous university towns, are in England. The largest industrial cities are Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Birmingham and Liverpool. One of the oldest prehistoric monuments, Stonehenge is in England.   St. George is the patron saint of this part of the UK. The national flower (emblem) of England is the rose.

Test. Answer the questions.

1. How many people live in England?
2. Is it the largest part of the UK?
3. What is the most important river in England?
4. What are two famous university towns?
5. What flower is the national emblem of the country?

Group 2                                 Scotland

Scotland is situated in the north of Great Britain. It is the second largest part of the UK, but its population isn’t big, because it is not far from the Arctic Circle. The surface of Scotland is mountainous. The highest mountain in Great Britain, Ben Nevis, is in Scotland. This part of the UK is also famous for its beautiful lakes called “lochs”. The best-known one is Loch Ness. Everybody knows about the mysterious Loch Ness Monster. People called it “Nessie”. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh, but the largest city is Glasgow. Edinburgh is the cultural centre. It is associated with the names of George Gordon Byron, Walter Scott, Robert Burns and Arthur Conan Doyle. Ship-building is one of the most important industries in this part of the UK. The other industries are iron, steel industries and coal-mining. One of the things that people associate with Scotland is kilt. It’s a skirt, a part of the Scottish national costume for men. St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland. The emblem of the country is the thistle.

Test. Complete the sentences.

1. Scotland is situated in the ….
2. The highest mountain in Scotland is ….
3. The best-known lake in Scotland is….
4. The largest city is….
5. The patron saint of Scotland is ….

Group3.                                     Wales

Wales lies in the west of Britain. The Welsh call their country “Cymru”. This word means “friend”. Wales is one of the most beautiful parts of the British Isles. The mountains are very beautiful. There are many sheep- and cattle-farms in the green valleys. The North Wales is a farming region, the South Wales is an industrial part of the country. Cardiff, the capital of Wales, is also a big port. The second largest city is Swansea. Wales is a very popular place for spending holidays. Many people go to Snowdonia, a national park round Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. Wales is often called the Land of Songs. There are many choirs in the country. Singers, dancers and poets from many countries come there every year to take part in the international festival, Eisteddfod. St. David is the patron saint of Wales. The national flower is the daffodil. Wales has its own flag called the Welsh dragon.

Test. Correct the mistakes.

1. Word “Cymru” means “beautiful”.
2. North Wales is an industrial region.
3. Snowdonia is the highest mountain in Wales.
4. Wales is called the Land of Lakes.
5. St. George is the patron saint of Wales.

Group 4                       Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is the smallest component of the UK. It is situated in the northeastern part of Ireland. Its capital city is Belfast. Ireland is also called the Emerald Isle because of its beautiful green fields. In 1949 the larger part of Ireland was proclaimed independent, but the industrial northeast was retained by Great Britain. The surface of Northern Ireland is flat. The rivers of Ireland are short, but deep. The population of the country is almost 1.5 million people. 53 per cent of them live in towns. The main industries are agriculture, textiles and ship-building. The second largest city is Londonderry. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Northern Ireland. His work was an important factor in the spread of Christianity in Ireland. The national emblem of this part of the UK is the shamrock.

Test. Say if it’s true or false.

1. Northern Ireland is the smallest component of the UK.
2. The capital city of this part is Londonderry.
3. The surface of Northern Ireland is mountainous.
4. Textiles, agriculture and ship-building are the main industries.
5. The national emblem of Northern Ireland is the rose.

VI. Observation test.

T: Thank you, dear boys and girls. Your reports were short, but very rich in interesting facts. Now I propose you to do an observation test. Let’s make up         « Mind- map» for the topic «The United Kingdom».Take one of the envelopes. There are some stickers with the words in them. Stick the words next to the names of the parts of the country you associate them with and explain your point of view.

Pupils make up «Mind- map» for the topic.

The «Mind- map» on the topic «The United Kingdom»

Emerald

Isle            Ulster

                                     St. Patrick

                                                                   Edinburgh       St. Andrew

                                                                        Kilt                                   Ben Nevis

      Northern Ireland                            Scotland                

                                                           Loch Ness                                       Thistle

Belfast

             shamrock

                                 The UK                                                                                

Daffodil      St. David                                         St. George     Rose        London                                       

        Wales                                                England 

                            Snowdon                             Oxbridge                         Stonehendge            

Cardiff    Rugby    Eisteddfod                                          Stratford-on-Avon 

            Land of Songs

The pupils’ explanations

Belfast – is the capital of Northern Ireland.

St. Patrick – is the patron saint of Northern Ireland.

Ulster – is an old name of this part of the UK.

Emerald Ireland – Northern Ireland is called so because of its green fields.

The shamrock – is the emblem of Northern Ireland.

Edinburgh – is the capital of Scotland.

St. Andrew – is the patron saint of Scotland.

The thistle – is the emblem of Scotland.

Kilt – is a part of Scottish national costume for men.

Ben Nevis – is the highest mountain in Scotland.

Loch Ness – “ Loch” is a Scottish word for “lake”. This lake is famous for its monster called Nessie.

St. George – is the patron saint of England.

London – is the capital of England and the capital of the whole UK.

The rose – is the emblem of England.

Stratford-on-Avon – is in England. It is the birthplace of the greatest English playwright, W. Shakespeare.

Oxbridge – Oxford and Cambridge, the oldest university towns in England, are often called collectively Oxbridge.

Stonehenge – is the oldest prehistoric monument which is in England.

St. David – is the patron saint of Wales.

Cardiff – is the capital of Wales.

The daffodil – is the emblem of Wales.

Land of Songs – Wales is often called the Land of Songs because Welsh can sing very well.

Eisteddfod – is an international musical festival in Wales. It takes place every year.

Snowdon – is the highest mountain in Wales.

Rugby – is the most popular kind of sport in Wales.

T: I hope that it was interesting for you to learn these facts.