“Круглий стіл”  на екологічну тему  у 8 класі  “Let’s preserve our world for future generations”

Objectives:

-to  teach using lexical units  in pupils’  monologues  and dialogues on the topic and comment on the suggested situations;

-to develop critical thinking, skills of independent and group work, to develop ability to express the attitude toward the topic through the  usage of problem situations and creative tasks;

-to educate  socio-cultural awareness  , the notion of man’s role in cooperation with nature, curiosity and love to the nature.

Equipment: Solutions Pre-intermediate study books, distributive cards, schemes, Multimedia board, Internet resources, additional materials for creative job.

Procedure

I Greeting.

T: I’d like to start our lesson with the small video. Be attentive while watching. Try not to miss the background words, phrases and sentences.(Video youtube. com“Human population environmental impact”,).You’ll try to guess the topic of our lesson today.

T: What was the video about?(Student’s answers) What words do you remember from the video?

(Pollution, waste, poaching, global warming, humans, we are the problem) These words are typed on the sheets of paper and are hung on the blackboard) T: What topic do these words refer to?

(Environmental problems)

So, you can guess the topic of our lesson today.

Main part of the lesson.

1)Introducing the topic of the lesson.

T: Today we are going to work on the topic “ Let’s preserve our  world   for future generations” .We’re going to dwell on the most vital environmental problems and solutions to them. You’re going to do some vocabulary work, to watch a short video film and to discuss the main idea of the video. You will do some exercises and at the end of the lesson you’ll do a creative work.      І. Phonetical drill.

     T. Let’s recite a poem. Look at the board and repeat after me.

The fish in the sea are dying

From the pollution we create We’ve got to stop polluting Before it’s too late.

The planet is in trouble It gets worse every day

We have to help our planet

In every possible way

The woods and forests

They’re cutting down the trees We’ve got to save the forests Everyone agrees.

The hole in the ozone layer

Is getting bigger every day We’ve got to stop air pollution We have to find a way.

Warming up activity.

     T. So, we should take care of our planet. Why? There are a lot of ecological problems. What environmental problems are mentioned in the poem?

     P1. There are such ecological problems as water pollution, deforestation, hole in the ozone layer, air pollution.

     T. Have a look at the following pictures. What problems do these pictures relate to?

     P2. This picture relates to the problem of pollution or rubbish because the beach is covered with litter.

     P3. This picture relates to the pollution of water and air.

     P4. This picture relates to the problem of traffic because it influences badly on our environment.

     P5. This picture relates to the problem of deforestation.

     P6. This picture relates to the problem of endangered species.

     P7. This picture relates to the problem of drought.

     P8. This picture relates to the problem of industrial waste.

Speaking(monologue speech)

  T. Let’s speak about some ecological problems. What can you say about water pollution?

     P1. Today the situation with water is very disastrous. There is no ocean or sea which is not used as dump. In the oceans some Governments test nuclear weapons. Many seas and rivers are used for dumping industrial and nuclear waste. These poisons kill fishes and sea animals. If people drink such water they can die too. It happens so because factories and plants produce a lot of waste and pour it into rivers.

So they poison the water.

     T. Thank you. What can you say about air pollution?

     P2. The most of the pollution in big cities comes from cars and buses. Air pollution causes a lot of ecological problems, green house effect, hole in the ozone layer. Ozone layer protects us from ultraviolet radiation, but if there are holes in the ozone layer this radiation can get to the earth. Such radiation can cause skin cancer. To make air clean we need good filters at nuclear power stations, at factories and plants, cars and public transport.

     T: What about endangered species?

     P3. Endangered species is also a problem of our planet because many animals die due to air and water pollution.

     T. Thank you for your answers. Without a doubt these are global problems.

Speaking. Dialogue speech. Taking an interview.

Teacher: The urgent problem of environmental protection is widely discussed in the mass media today. Let’s act out an interview that was taken at our school.

S: (Interviewer): Hello, I'm the journalist from “Rivne Vechirne”. I’m interviewing the students of “Center of Hope” school about their feelings on how people can help save the environment. So, (name S1), how can we save the environment?

St.1: By saving water.

 Interviewer: Well, how can we do that?

 St.2:  By not using too much water when we wash dishes, take a bath, and when we do other things, like watering the plants outside.

 Interviewer:  Oh, I think I can do that. What else?

 St.3:  When drinking or eating something outside, you should keep the garbage until you find a trashcan to put it in because littering makes our planet dirty. Do you like seeing trash all over the ground?

Interviewer : No, I don't. Do you have any final suggestions?

 St.4: Yes. We shouldn't waste paper because trees are being cut down to make the paper. By recycling paper, we save the forests where animals live.

  Interviewer: So, how can children recycle paper, I mean, everyday?

St.5: Well, for example, the children in our neighbourhood collect newspapers once a month to take them to a recycling centre. So, we must remember 3 R’s : reuse, reduce, recycle.

Interviewer : You are absolutely right! What can we reuse, reduce and recycle?

Student :  Reuse : glass bottles and tins, metal tins.

 Recycle : all kinds of paper, plastic, metal.

Reduce : using electricity, running water.    

Interviewer:  That's great. Well, thanks, students, for your ideas!

Quiz “Guess what?” (Slide show)

Teacher: There are a lot of ecological problems nowadays, but some of them are the most urgent today. I’d like to check whether you know about them or not in the form of the Quiz “Guess what?” You are going to hear the description of the problems, to see the picture of them on the screen and to guess what they are. Support your answers with some information about these phenomena.

Slide 1: It is the result of increasing the average global temperature.

St.1: Global warming. To my mind global warming is a great problem of our environment because it leads to rising of sea levels, to extinction of endangered species and causes the greenhouse effect. As water expands when it gets warmer, global warming will cause the oceans to rise. Many cities built near the ocean will have flooding, the weather will change.

Slide 2: It is the result of mixing gases, chemicals and water in the atmosphere.

St.2: Acid rain. Acid rain causes several serious problems. The rain falls into rivers and lakes and kills fish and animals that are sensitive to acid. Acid rain falls onto the ground, dissolves many natural metals in the ground and then carries them into the lakes and rivers.

Slide 3: Being caused by the release of man-made chemicals, it hurts the ecosystems of the world.

St.3: Ozone loss. Ozone is the gas that acts like a filter in the atmosphere. Scientists found that man-made chemicals are causing the ozone hole. They rise up into the atmosphere and destroy the ozone layer. As the result people can get cancer more often and even become blind. Plants will become damaged.

Listening.

T: you are going to watch a short video. Before watching it, let’s do an exercise on the board. (Handout 2)

     Get ready to answer the question on the blackboard after you watch the video (youtube.com.”Spider-Man Earth hour 2014 Superhero Ambassador).

      What is the Earth hour and its aim?(Students’ answrs)

                                       Handout 2

                             Earth Hour-exercises

          Earth hour is an annual event organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature. This year it has a very special ambassador.

                          Do the preparation task first. Then watch the video and do the exercises.

1. Preparation: matching

Match the vocabulary with the correct definition and write a-h next to the numbers 1-8.

1.     ………crowdfunding          a. a representative

2.     ………to underestimate      b. large

3.     ………an ambassador         c. a group/organization

4.     ………massive                    d. an effect

5.     ………to inspire                  e. to undervalue

6.     ………an impact                 f. to start off or set in motion

7.     ………to launch                  g. to encourage

8.     ……....a movement             h. funds for a project from a lot of                                                supporters, usually via the internet 

2. Check your understanding: true or false. Circle True or False for these sentences.

Teacher: Do the exercise on the cards. Exchange cards and check them! (Keys are on the board. Handout 2) Reading.

a) Pre-reading task

T: Could you name the most serious problems of the environment?

(Students’ answers)

b) While-reading task

T: Now read the text and complete the sentences. They touch the most vital environmental problems:

- greenhouse effect; -  depletion of ozone layer.

Work in two groups(one text for each group)

c)     Post-reading task

T: Fill in the table below. Suggest your solution to the problem.

(Handout 3)

                                       Handout 3

                                   While-reading task

 Read the task and complete the sentences using the words from the box. You may have to make some changes in the word forms.

                                     GREENHOUSE EFFECT

        The Earth has been getting hotter because we are (1)______________ too many “greenhouse gases”. These gases (2) _________the heat. Trees and

plants help take gases such as carbon dioxide from the (3)_________,           but we have now (4)________too many trees.

         There are not enough trees and plants to do this job.

         We make carbon dioxide when we (5)________wood or (6)_______ cars. CFCs (other dangerous gases) are in refrigerators and aerosol (7)___.

Tin greenhouse effect is noticeable in the warmer temperatures that people have

(8)_______over the last two decades.

THE OZONE LAYER

  There is a layer of gas called ozone. It covers the Earth. It protects us from the dangerous rays of the sun because the ozone gas (1)________ the sun’s ultraviolet (2)_______. However, when ozone gets near the Earth (in

(3)_______rain, for example) it is also very (4)_______itself and causes (5)_______.

            There are now (6)_______in the ozone layer. Some (7)_____used in refrigerators and in the production of foam plastics reduce the ozone layer, allowing harmful ultraviolet rays to enter the Earth’s atmosphere, thereby contributing to skin (8)_______.  

Post-reading task.

Fill in the table below.

Summary of the lesson.

Creative work.

Planting a tree.

T: You know, students, it’s very important to preserve trees because they are our lungs. Children, let’s grow a tree. Let’s start planting right now.

     Each group of pupils will get pots with ground.

While planting tell please why environmental protection concerns everyone.

P1: All over the world people have cut down millions of trees.

P2: Don’t cut down the wild flowers and trees. They may all disappear. Plant a tree a year. Remember from one tree a forest grows.

P3: Today environmental issues are much spoken and written about on TV, radio and in the newspapers. Fortunately, it’s not too late to solve these problems. If we take actions now, there might be some hope for the future. Together we can save the planet and all of us with it. If we want to survive, we must do our best to solve these problems. It is important to join our efforts in the struggle for survival. We are responsible for preserving our planet for future generations. The life of future generations depends on our attitude towards environment and the way each of us treats nature.

We’ll have to stop now.

P4: So, the Earth is a big place with big problems. You can’t solve them alone, but there are things you can do to help. The way it is. If you do something to help and many others do the same.

T: Thank you for your fruitful work.

Demonstration.

T: To summarize your work I want to organize a demonstration against destruction of our beautiful planet.

     So must we do to protect the environment?

     Come up, choose a flag and read the slogan.

-Don’t pollute the place you live in!

-Plant trees and flowers everywhere!

-Keep the environment clean!

-Remember three R’s: reduce, reuse and recycle!

-Protect endangered species!

-Preserve eco-system!

-Stop polluting water and air!

-Install antipollution equipment!

-Preserve natural resources!

T: To consolidate what you have said and what you have seen and heard I have all grounds to say that you have enough knowledge to take care of our Earth.

  Hometask. Your homework for the next lesson is to write about the ways of solving the ecological problems for saving the life on the Earth.

T: And now let’s sing a song by Michael Jackson “The Earth song”.youtube.com

This song was written to support international organizations such as Greenpeace and Amnesty International. Annie Lennox decided to donate all profits and money made by her concert to Greenpeace organization.

Marks.

T: The most of you were at the top. Most of you get excellent marks today.

Conclusion.

T: Our lesson is coming to its end. Thank you very much for your work and original ideas.

     Have a good day! Good bye!