Нестандартний урок "Flowers in our Life"

                                                                    Flowers in our Life

                                                                (   A non-standard lesson)

                                                        Suggested Levels - B1; B1+(intermediate)

                                                         Oksana Viniukova, a teacher of English,

                                               school # 2 specializing in English and French,

                                                                        Rubizhne,

                                                                    Luhansk region

Objectives:

- to improve speaking, writing and listening skills;

- to increase students' active involvement during the lesson;

- to encourage students to work in teams, in mini-and macro-groups;

- to involve students in the process of English communication;

- to motivate learners to communicate with each other discussing the topic;

- to develop cooperative skills;

- to practice a role-play;

- to provide feedback which will improve future performances in similar situations.

Equipment: flashcards; cards with tasks; texts for reading and listening; a box of letters; charts; posters and placards; a CD-recorder/a laptop; a chalkboard.

                                Procedure

I. Introduction. Warming-up

T: Good afternoon, everybody! I am glad to see you! How are you?

Ss: Good afternoon, teacher! We're glad to see you, too! We are fine, thank you! And you?

T: Not so bad, thanks. Today is a special day. We are going to have a non-standard lesson and we'll be playing a lot during this lesson. I'm sure that all of us like different kinds of flowers and, no doubt, flowers are lovely in all seasons of the year. So we'll recollect everything that we've learnt about flowers and we'll do it in teams and in different ways. The first team is "Daffodils".

Ss: We are "Daffodils". (3 times)

T: The captain of this team is...

S1: Hello, everybody!

T: The second team is "Tulips".

Ss: We are "Tulips". (3 times)

T: The captain of this team is...

S2: Hi, happy to see you all!

T: Well, it's time for warming-up. First, some questions to you all:

What season is it now?

S1: It is winter now.

T: Do you remember the names of winter months?

S2: Of course. They are December, January and February.

T: What month is it now?

S3: It is...

T: What is the weather like today?

S4: The weather is fine (bad) today. The sun is shining. (It's gloomy.) It is snowy and frosty, but it isn't windy. The temperature is... degrees above (below) zero. The sky is blue (grey, cloudy). The roads are slippery. And the drivers must be careful at the wheel. And pedestrians must be careful, too. The weather has become changeable lately. You can never know for sure what the weather will be like tomorrow.

T: Do you like this season? Why? Why not?

S5: I like this season because when the weather is snowy I can play snowballs.

S6: As for me, I like it, too, because we have our winter holidays.

S7: Speaking about winter, I personally don't like it very much.

T: Why?

S7: The weather is changeable and very often it's nasty.

S8: I agree with you. As for me, I even hate it, I prefer spring and summer.

T: OK! But after winter spring comes. Spring is a beautiful season. And I can't but stress here that "everything is good in its season". And now what rhymes do you remember about winter and spring?

II The Main Part of the Lesson

1. Reciting Poems about Winter and Spring

S1: Winter brings snowflakes,

Spring - green buds and shoots,

Summer brings us berries,

Autumn - golden fruits.

S3: This is the season when mornings are dark,

And birds do not sing in the wood and the park.

S3: This is the season when children ski

And Santa Claus brings the New Year Tree.

S4: The ground is white

All day and all night.

The snow is falling,

The wind is blowing.

S5: It's nice, it's nice.

Kids are skating on the ice,

Skiing down the snowy hills.

Reading books and watching films.

T: That's OK and now what about spring?

S6: In spring, in spring, sweet and fresh is everything.

Winter winds are no more blowing.

In fields all is growing,

In spring, in spring, sweet and fresh is everything.

S7: Winter sleep is over

Spring then comes

With brooks and flowers

And young green grass.

S8: Nature is awaking,

Birds are singing,

The sun is shining,

The bright day is ringing.

S9: The sun is shining,

The flowers are blooming.

The sky is blue.

The rains are few.

S10: Spring is coming,

Flowers are coming, too

Snowdrops, lilies, daffodils

Now are coming, too.

S11: It's high time for daffodils,

Tulips, poppies in the hills

Smelling lilacs and soft grass

Spring presents them all for us.

T: All right, children!

2. Vocabulary Practice (cards)

T: Now some vocabulary practice. I'll show you some pictures and you are to give the names of the flowers. What flower is this?

Ss: This is a...

T: Not so long ago we learnt some rhymes about flowers. Who wants to recite them now?

S12: I like flowers that are bright.

I like flowers that are white.

I like flowers with a smell.

I like flowers very well.

S13: I'm fond of garden our

Every plant and every flower,

Lilies, lilacs and mimosas

And the queens of flowers rose.

S14: Our dearest aunt Rose

Likes to grow a primrose.

Stands it on the window-sill

What a pleasant smell I feel!

S15: Daffodil's my favourite

I can't help smelling it.

Cause its blossom's so bright,

It is yellow and white.

S16: Growing flowers of all sorts

People love forget-me-nots.

They are beautiful and modest

Wearing the coloured clothes.

S17: People used to take carnation

Giving to the demonstration

Nowadays they use carnations

In many other situations.

S18: Flowers. That's all I need

To improve my mood, indeed

And, of course, I do believe

Flowers help to feel and live.

T: OK! In fact, we already know many names of flowers. And now the "Daffodils" will recollect and write down the names of the wild flowers. And the team "Tulips" will do the same, but with the garden flowers. I'll give you a minute or two. Think it over in your teams. And then the captains are welcome to the blackboard.

T: And now let's see who has won? I think Friendship has won.

3. Communicative Practice

T: I see you know the names of flowers very well. And now let's play! I think everybody likes this game. It is "I was born a gardener". Don't you like it?

Ss: Oh, yes, we do.

- All the flowers bored me except Rose.

- Oh?

- What happened to you?

- I fell in love.

- With whom?

- With Tulip.

- Oh! (etc.)

T: So much for it! As I see, all of us are in love with one another, aren't we?

Ss: Yes, we are.

4.  Writing

T: Now your task is to write what flowers you can buy at the shop or at the market. Every team must finish the sentence and then read it. I 'll give you the cards.

1. At the florist's we can see...

2. At the flower market we can buy...

T: Your second task is as follows: each team will make up six words given in a jumbled form. Now, look at the blackboard! Guess what words are on it. A representative of each team comes up to the blackboard and writes down the words.

"Daffodils"

1) n w r o p d o s - snowdrop

2) u l p i t - tulip

3) p m r i o s r e - primrose

4) o p y p p - poppy

5) c m a o i l m e - camomile

6) s r i i - iris

"Tulips"

1) f o f  i l d a d - daffodil

2) l i v o t e - violet

3) c r n a t o n i - carnation

4) o i l y h - holly

5) i o m s m a - mimosa

6) g a d l i o u s - gladiolus

T: Now look at this box of letters. Find as many words as possible to the topic "Flowers" and write down these words in your exercise-books. After that  a representative of each team comes up to the blackboard and names the words.

T: Keys: rose, lily, poppy, iris, lotus, carnation, jasmine, edelweiss, camomile, tulip, sunflower.

5. Reading

T: It's time to the contest of our captains. They'll be given the text "Springtime". They are look it through in silence and to find English equivalents for the given Ukrainian sentences.

                                                     Springtime

           Days get longer and warmer in spring. There are new leaves in the trees. Flowers begin to grow. Rain makes the grass green and helps the plants grow.

            Spring is time of new life. Nature puts on  new clothes in many colours - red, yellow, blue, white and purple.

              Birds build nests in spring. Many baby animals appear. People like to make gardens and farmers plant crops in the field.

I. 1. Дні стають довше і тепліше навесні.

    2. Квіти починають розквітати.

     3. Природа одягає новий наряд.

ІІ. 1. На деревах нові листя.

    2. Весна - час нового життя.

     3. Птахи будують гнізда навесні.

T: Meanwhile the members of their teams will make up the sentences about spring. You must put the words into the right order. Look at the blackboard!

I. 1. young, We, grass, on, see, green, ground, the.

  2. Trees, in, spring, blossom.

II. 1. many, see, in, parks, and, We, flowers, garden.

    2. sing, spring, in, make, and, nests, their, Birds.

6. Listening

T: Now you are going to listen to the story about the main flowers for winter and spring. You'll listen to it twice and answer the questions given to you on the cars.

                                                Twelve Flowers of the Year

                                                         (An extract)

               My granny likes nature very much. She has lived in a small village all her life. She knows a lot about different plants. My granny says that there is a special flower for each month of the year. She often tells me about these flowers and she also shows them to me as they are all in her garden collection. Her favourite flowers are chrysanthemums. They appear from late August to December when most flowers have stopped flowering ready for the winter.

                December's plant is the holly. Its flowers have produced red berries for the  Christmas season. The holly has prickly green leaves. It is an evergreen.

               The snowdrop is the flower for January. It is as white as snow, and appears in forests and gardens when there is still snow there. The little plant is a native flower of Europe.

             February's flower is the primrose. Primroses can be white, yellow, red, pink, purple and orange.  The flowers look like stars.

             The primrose is one of the earliest spring flowers. They grow wild in some countries in Europe, and North America, but you can find lots of them in China.

              The flower of the month of March is the daffodil. It appears very early in spring, too. The flowers are usually yellow. The plant has long leaves and a sweet pleasant smell. It has been a favourite flower in many gardens.

                 April's flowers are daises. You can see them everywhere in the fields, gardens and even roadsides.

                 The flower of May is the hawthorn. It grows in a small tree and its blossoms are pink, white or red. The hawthorn also has small hard fruit which looks like a little apple.

Questions:

1. Which of the flowers is the national flower of Japan? (The chrysanthemum is.)

2. Which of the flowers is the flower for the Christmas season? (The holly is.)

3. Which little plant is a native flower of Europe? (It's the snowdrop.)

4. Which of the flowers looks like a star? (The primrose does.)

5. Which flower can you see everywhere in April? ( It's the dandelion.)

6. Which of the flowers smells pleasant or doesn't smell at all? ( We think all of them smell pleasant and we like them all.)

T: That's all right. And now some very quick brainwork. You may use the charts and posters which you can see here:

 1. What flower is the national symbol of England? - A red rose is.

2. What flower is the national symbol of Wales? - A daffodil is.

3. What meaning has been given to a dandelion? - Wisdom.

4. What meaning has been given to a daisy? - We feel the same.

5. What meaning has been given to a forget-me-not? - True love.

6. What meaning has been given to a lilac? - First love.

7. What meaning has been given to a rose? - Love.

8. What meaning has been given to a tulip? - Fame.

9. What meaning has been given to a daffodil? - Regard.

10. What meaning has been given to a red carnation? - Alas! My poor heart!

T: Now I think it's time for riddles:

1. You decorate houses with me

And use to make tasty beer

In October you can see me

As a climbing plant. (a hop)

2. I grow from August to December

I am a national plant of Japan

Can you remember?

What am I? (a chrysanthemum)

3. I am evergreen

At Christmas can be seen

My berries are red

Do you know what is that? ( a holly)

4. In January I grow

I am white

I drop the snow,

As you know...(a snowdrop)

5. It's a golden sieve

With many black houses... (a sunflower)

6. The Queen of all flowers (a rose)

7. Which flower is a self-loving egoist? (a daffodil)

8. Which flower can tell us about love? (a camomile)

T: Very well, thank you. And, to finish it all, we'd like to sing one of our favourite songs from the musical "The Sounds of Music".

                                                    Edelweiss

Edelweiss, edelweiss, every morning you greet me.

Small and white, clean and bright - you look happy to meet me.

Blossom of snows may you bloom and grow,

Bloom and grow forever.

Edelweiss, edelweiss, bless my Homeland forever.

(The song is sung twice.)

III. Summing-up. Home Assignment

T: And now let's sum up. Our lesson is coming to its end. I think you've had a good time at the lesson. Thank you for your work. You have done a lot of different tasks. I liked your answers. As you see, friendship has won.

Your points are:

Your Home Assignment: to write an essay about your favourite flowers. It must be 12-15 sentences. Any questions?

That's all for today. Good-bye! See you later!