«Конспект уроку з англійської мови для 10-го класу на тему "Natural Disasters"

Natural Disasters

Olena Linchuk,

A teacher of English,

Secondary school #7,

Dubno,

Rivne region

Objectives:

Practical: to activate the topic-related lexis; to practice speech patterns; to develop pupils’ speaking skills maintaining free discussion; to reinforce pupils’ grammar habits of using Conditionals in writing and orally.

Educational: to expand pupils’ vocabulary on the topic studied; to widen pupils’ knowledge on the topic; to develop creative imagination in communicative activity, critical thinking, and abilities to bring knowledge and skills into a new situation.

Cultural: to give pupils an idea about weather hazards and disasters in different countries; to learn the survival techniques in case of a certain disaster.

Bringing-up: to make pupils aware of the importance of the subject under discussion; to bring up in pupils respect to nature; to develop feelings of sincere sympathy to people affected by peculiar disaster; to encourage pupils to work cooperatively in pairs and groups.  

Equipment: a computer, a projector, Power Point Presentation, handouts.

                                             Procedure.

I. Introduction

T: Hello to everyone! We have a lot of guests at our lesson. Let’s greet them. I hope you are fine and you will be energetic, active and supportive at the lesson. We have been learning about different natural disasters which occur around the world. Unfortunately, they are frequent nowadays. Today we are going to deal with the problems connected with natural disasters. By the end of the lesson you should be able to comment on different calamities around the world and try to explain why they happen, participate in conversation and learn to express your sympathy for those who experienced particular disaster and discuss safety measures in case of any of them.

II. Warming up. An interactive technique “Merry-go-round”.

T:  By the way, what natural disasters are most likely to happen in Ukraine? Last Friday we witnessed blizzard. Heavy snowfalls and freezing temperatures have hit our and other regions of Ukraine. As a result cars and trucks were blocked in traffic jam on the main road between Kyiv and Lviv. Something happened to Nature’s laws. I wonder what natural disasters you have ever witnessed and what feelings you have experienced.

Pupils’ possible answers:

 P1/P3: I have witnessed … I was not scared of… (Pupils are given a set of green cards)

P2/ P4: I have witnessed … I was frightened. (Pupils are given a set of pink cards)

 T:  Let’s find out what disasters your classmates witnessed and what they felt. Share your cards with the pupils who had the same feelings as yours. I’d like you to form two circles – inside and outer. Pupils of the inside circle should stand facing the pupils of the outer circle. The pupils of the outer circle “rotate” clockwise so that everyone has a new partner to ask and answer the questions.

So, pupils with the cards of the same colour team up. Let a group with pink cards be called “HAZARD EXPERTS” and a group with green cads - “EMERGENCY EXPERTS”     

III. Main Part. (Group work)

T:  We shall begin our work with vocabulary revision.

«EMERGENCY EXPERTS”:

Match the words with their definitions:

1. Aftermath–      a) unexpected dangerous situation requiring immediate action

2. Calamity -        b) to experience something unpleasant

3. Debris -            c) an event that causes great damage to people’s lives, property

4. Emergency – d) to make a fire stop burning

5. Extinguish - e) a result of an important (unpleasant) event

6. Hazard –      f) showing that you understand and care about somebody’s problem;

7. Suffer -    g) pieces of wood, metal, brick that are left after something has been destroyed.

8. Sympathy -  h) something that could be dangerous.

1-e, 2-c, 3-g, 4-a, 5- d, 6-h, 7-b, 8 –f.

 “HAZARD EXPERTS”:

Match the synonyms

1. to perish–

2. to collapse

3. to happen –

4. devastating–

5. calamity

6. hazard

7. to be hurt

 8. survived

9. to suffer from famine

10. to warn

a) to be injured

b) to prevent

c) disaster

d) to starve

e) threat

f) damaging

g) to occur

h) to destroy

i) to die

j) rescued

 Key:  1-i, 2-h, 3-g, 4-f, 5-c, 6-e, 7-a, 8-j, 9-d, 10-b

T:  Well, a good beginning is a half of work.

2. Watching video.

T:  At the previous lessons we were watching some videos about different calamities and learned to comment on them. Now you are going to watch one of them once more. It is about the disasters which occurred on our planet in 2011. This year is considered to be a nasty one for natural disasters.

Pre-Watching

Choose proper word-combinations concerning aftermath of the calamity:

 «EMERGENCY EXPERTS”: what may happen to people

“HAZARD EXPERTS”:  what may happen to the affected area

Felt helpless /gas and power lines were destroyed/ perished / had psychological problems /buildings were collapsed / felt despair / died /roads, crops, property were damaged/ were  injured/ towns and villages were flooded / starve/were trapped under the debris/ drowned /areas became devastated / cars, ships were swept away/left homeless/suffered from depression/

While watching and listening

T:  While watching and listening to the presenter pay attention to the facts according to the following plan.

1. What natural disasters are you watching?                                                                                                  2. What countries did they occur in?                                                                                                                     3. What happened to people?                                                                                                                  4. What happen to the affected area?

Post - watching and listening

T:  Comment on the events you have just watched. Use the word- combinations from the previous exercise.

Pupils’ possible answers:

P1: We were watching a violent earthquake and tsunami which occurred in Japan in 2011. During the earthquake the ground was shaking, houses collapsed. In all these distractions people got injured and killed. There was also great damage to property. Underwater earthquake caused tsunami. Tsunami destroyed everything in its way. Cars, ships and buildings were swept away by 40 meters high wall of water. It was the fourth largest earthquake ever recorded.

P2:  In New Zealand buildings collapsed during the earthquake and more than 100 native people died. Those who survived felt despair. In Turkey after the earthquake mother and a two-week baby were trapped under the debris. After 48 hours they were rescued.

P3: Towns and villages in Australia, Shri Lanka, Pakistan, Thailand, and Columbia were flooded. It rained heavily, the water in the river rose. River waters flowed into settlements over the banks. That caused damage to farms, houses and other property. Thousands of people had to leave their homes because of a danger of floods. A lot of people left homeless.

P4: Africa was affected by drought. It is a long period of dry weather when there is not enough water for plants and animals to live. 12 million people suffered from drought which causes famine. Crops fail, animals die, and people starve.

P5: In the USA there was little rain and fires destroyed thousands of homes. Some areas became devastated. Tornado occurred in the USA. It moved objects as big as a car, uprooted trees, and destroyed buildings. Roads, crops, property were damaged.

P6: We were watching how emergency workers rescued victims of different disasters. They evacuated people and extinguished fires. If the aftermath of a disaster very serious, other countries from all over the world collect food, money, medicine and send their rescue teams too.    

3. Project presentation and discussion.

T:  Well done. Now we will have some sort of discussion. At the previous lesson you were suggested preparing an oral presentation according to the given questions:

1. What natural disaster do you consider to be the most dangerous and why?

2. Which of the calamities do you think are caused by human activity?

Speak your mind using the following expressions: I am sure / I believe/ In my opinion / As the matter of fact / To my mind/ In my point of view

Pupils’ possible answers:

P1: In my point of view, the most dangerous natural disasters are those which can happen without warning and cause a lot of damage, injure and kill people and animals. Among them are volcanic eruption, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, avalanche, floods, droughts, tsunami, lightning, and hailstorm. All of them can be very dangerous for people but the biggest threat to human may come from space. About once every million years the Earth is hit by a piece of rock – asteroid or meteorite. 65 million years ago more than half the Earth’s species were killed by such asteroids (including dinosaurs). This year the 10-tonne meteorite entered the Earth’s atmosphere and exploded in the sky, injuring hundreds of people in Russia.

P2: I am sure, that natural disaster like volcanic eruption is most destructive because it is often unpredictable. By the way, the word “volcano” comes from “Vulcan”, the name which the ancient Romans gave to their God of Fire. Sometimes lava and gases are thrown from the crater. We do not know when they might happen, or even where they will happen. In the future, scientists may be able to watch and predict events before they occur. This could save many lives. In South America scientists predicted the eruption of a volcano. Tens of thousands of people were safely moved just before the biggest eruption of the volcano for a thousand years. No one was hurt. I would like to add that outstanding Russian painter Karl Briullov depicted a sudden eruption of Vesuvius which had happened early in the morning in 79 AD and the town had been covered with 7 meters of ashes for 18 centuries.“The Last Day of Pompeii”

P3: I believe, the most dreadful calamity is underwater earthquake - tsunami because it can strike without warning. The most awful consequence of this hazard was explosion at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.

P4: To my mind, such disasters as hurricanes and tornado are very devastating. For example, the USA suffered from the effects of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Thousands of people perished and left homeless.

P5: In my opinion, lightning is very dangerous; it kills a thousand of people in the world every year. Lightning is very strong electricity. In 1998, one flash of lightning killed eleven players at a football match. Lightning mostly strikes tall things, trees; it may strike power lines and antennas on roofs. But lightning does not strike bushes!

T: Judging from your opinions I can tell that you are hazard and emergency experts indeed. So we can summaries that these disasters are really awful and dreadful. But do they happen because of weather conditions and peculiarity of climate? It seems to me, Nature takes revenge on people for their careless attitude to it. 

P6: As the matter of fact, natural disasters are also caused by human activity. I would mention about drought. People are responsible for this hazard too because they launched a lot of satellites into space which made holes in the protective ozone layer of the atmosphere – this also caused droughts.

P7: I fully agree with you. I believe, such disaster as flood may be caused not only by nature.  For example, in Western Ukraine private employers and poor farmers cut down trees in the forests. Deforestation in the Carpathian Mountains caused floods and land sliding in this region. Some regions of Western Ukraine are flooded almost every spring, and thousands of families lost their homes, crops and properties. So, people are responsible for their actions themselves.  

P8: I support your point of view, sometimes people don’t realize danger. It seems to me, all natural disasters are a protest against people’s actions. I am sure, such calamity as the fire can be caused either by electrical storms, lightning or caused by people. A few people even start fires deliberately. Many people are careless. They may drop burning cigarettes or matches and not put them out properly. Some people may leave electrical appliances; gas stove and not turns them off. Home fires can cause serious burns and even explosions and death.

T: I see you are aware of natural problems. Fortunately, some of these disasters are not common in our region or even country. Mostly we read about them in newspapers or watch on TV. But we should not be indifferent to the victims or witnesses of these calamities. It is very important to comfort, support when a person really needs it in right time. It is a norm, a duty of every human being. We should be merciful.

4. Role-playing. (Group/ pair work) 

T: I suggest you role-playing in groups or in pairs. Use the following plans of your imaginary conversations and expression of sympathy for somebody:

Hold on! Sorry for you. I sympathize with you. It’s a pity. Try to overcome it! You are strong. Don’t be in despair. Time is healing. Everything is passing, and this will also pass.

1. Group “EMERGENCY EXPERTS”:

P1 - You are worried. You heard the news about the disaster that happened in a place where your friend lives. Call him/ her on Skype:

a)  tell she/he doesn’t look very well and ask how she/he is, about her/his feelings;

b) ask about aftermath of the disaster;

c) express your sympathy for her/him, cheer up her/him;

d) invite her/him to your place.

P2 - Imagine you live in a place which has been affected by one of the disasters. A friend is calling you to ask how you are:

a)  say you are in despair, you can’t sleep at night, you can’t forget that dreadful event. Share your feelings;

b) thank her /him for his sympathy and tell about aftermath of the calamity;

c) thank and accept your friend’s invitation.

2. Group “HAZARD EXPERTS”:

P1 - Imagine you are a journalist. You are interviewing survivors. Find out:

a) where they were and what they were doing when disaster occurred:

b) how they felt, express your sympathy for her/him;

c)  ask about aftermath of the disaster;

d) how were they rescued.

Ps 2,3 - You are survives of a particular disaster. A journalist is going to interview you about what happened. Tell her/ him:

a) where you were and what you were doing at the time of the disaster;

b) your feelings during the disaster;

c) what damage the disaster caused;

d) what kind of help you have received from other people.

T:  Thank you. You have creative imagination. You can put yourself into other person’s shoes.

5. Relaxation break.

T:  It’s high time to relax a bit. Our topic is very serious and important. But sometimes joke or even black humor is a great way to help keep people safe around. Let’s watch  the safety message in the cartoon «Dumb Ways to Die” 

6. Focus on Grammar.

T:  I wish we never experienced any disasters. But man proposes, God disposes. So, in all cases we should not panic, be well-informed. I suppose you got necessary information how to behave during the lightning at your lessons of Life Safety.

1. Give your partners advice on what they should do when the lightning occurs. Use 1st conditionals:  (If Present Simple + Infinitive)

«EMERGENCY EXPERTS”:

1. If you (be) indoors,…

2. If you (witness) lightning outdoors,…

“HAZARD EXPERTS”: 

3. If you (experience) lightning in the open space …

4. If you (be) in a car, …

a) (not lie) down on the ground, but (crouch) and (put)  your feet together.

b) (stop) the car safely at the side of the road and stay there.

d) (not use) the phone, electrical equipment or water.

 c) (avoid) water, high ground, isolated trees, open spaces.

2. How would you save yourself if an earthquake occurred?

Complete the 2^nd conditionals by changing the form of the verbs in brackets.

(If Past Simple, +would V (were – for all persons)

«EMERGENCY EXPERTS”:

1. If I (leave) the house, I (turn) off electricity to prevent fire.

2. If I (be) at home when the earthquake occurred, I (get) immediately under the table.

3. I (avoid) dangerous places: staircases, balconies, items that can fall down, windows if I (experience) an earthquake.

“HAZARD EXPERTS”: 

4. If I (be) outside during the earthquake, I (try) to find a large open space to wait in.

5. I (use) a torch and a whistle to attract attention if the house (collapse).

6. If I (be) in the street when the earthquake (take) place, I (not stand) near buildings, fences or walls.

3. Use the phrases in the left column and ask questions by changing the form of the verbs in brackets. (2nd conditionals: If Past Simple, +would V (were – for all persons) Ask the members of the other group 3 following questions

«EMERGENCY EXPERTS”:

What would you do if you…?

1. (feel) smoke inside the house

2. the flood (happen)

“HAZARD EXPERTS”: 

What would you do if you…?

3. the fire (catch) you inside

4. water (be) everywhere

a) (go) to the highest level of the building and wait for rescue.

b) (use) a fire extinguisher.

c) (turn) off electricity to prevent fire.

d) (cover) my nose and mouth with damp cloth and evacuate the building quickly  

III. 1. Summing-up.

T:  Well, children, I hope our lesson was beneficial for you. Let’s match the halves of sayings about safety and sum up what you have learned from this topic. 

1. Better a thousand times care   a) No safety, know injury.

2. Safety is a cheap and               b) its priceless.

3. Know safety, no injury.           c) Always Be Careful

4. Danger never takes                  d) than once dead.

5. Safety isn't expensive,             e) effective insurance policy.

6. Safety is as simple as ABC     f) a vacation                    

Key:  1-d, 2-e, 3-a, 4-f, 5-b, 6-c.

Write, please, on your colored stickers your own conclusions and attach them to cover the word “Calamity” on the board.  

Pupils’ possible answers:

P1: We have learned how to keep safe in dangerous situations.

P2: To prevent some natural disasters we must take care of nature.

P3: We should be merciful to our nature and people.

P4: We have to be very careful what we do with nature.

P5: We should not provoke natural disasters….

2. Home assignment: write some safety rules which are important to apply in case of fire (flood / lightning).Thank you for being active and enthusiastic. I have really enjoyed working with you. You deserve the highest marks. Take care of yourself and of nature.