The theme of the lesson:Mass Media-a Mirror of the World.
The objectives of the lesson:
The type of the lesson; the lesson of generalization and systematization of knowledge.
Equipment: individual cards with tasks, a cassette recorder, a TV, video recorder, cassettes with musical patterns,a recording of a weather forecast, the issues of popular Ukrainian and English newspapers and magazines.
The procedure of the lesson.
1 Greeting-1 min:
Good morning , good morning, good morning to you ,
This cold autumn morning how do you do?
Good morning, good morning, good morning to you,
This cold autumn morning I am well, and you?
Pupils answer:” I’m well, thanks”, “ I’m not bad,thanks”, “I’m OK, thanks”,etc.
2 Introduction-1 min:
T:Dear pupils!We’re going to have a lesson devoted to mass communications (mass media ). A man always wanted to be well-informed in the current events. He used to read books, newspapers and magazines.Mark Twain once said:”There are only two forces that can carry light to all corners of the globe-the sun in the heavens and the Associated Press”.The world was changing rapidly, new types of mass media appeared: the radio and later the television. Nowadays a message can be sent to a mass audience by many means of mass communications: by the press, by the radio, by the television. All the vital problems of our day, the recent events are reflected in newspapers and magazines; television and radio may inform and persuade as well as entertain. We may assert that the mass communications are in control of most spheres in the life of society.
3 Warm-up activity-1 min:
T: Speaking about mass media we can’t do without certain vocabulary. I need 3 pupils to come out to the board. You can see three columns and the list of words written on the board. Your task is to divide the words into three groups and fill in the columns.
Kinds of TV programs |
Newspaper articles |
People who work on a radio or television, for newspapers and magazines. |
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The list of the suggested words:a printer, small ads, soap operas, an editor, a quiz-show, stop-press, music programs, a talk-show, an editorial, a journalist, a weather forecast, aTV reporter, business news, a gossip column,an announcer, a horoscope,documentaries, etc. The teacher gives 2-3 minutes for the fulfillment of the task.
While three pupils are busy fulfilling their tasks at the board, the rest of the pupils are working together with a teacher.
4 Vocabulary check. Guess the word-2 min:
T:On the separate sheets of paper there are words with some letters omitted.Your task is to guess what letters are missing,, translate the words, make up your own sentences using the right words.
E.g. 1)to be s_lect_ve ( to be selective, “e” and “i” are missing ).Nowadays there are so many newspapers and magazines that we have to be very selective;
2 )to co_er (to cover ,”v” is missing ). Newspapers and magazines cover significant political, social & economical questions, etc.-
The list of the suggested words: to c_mm_nt on ( to comment on ), to br_dcast ( to broadcast ),to s_bsc__be to ( to subscribe to ), c_rre_t events (current events ), ch_ nn_l (channel ), da_ly (daily ).
T: Thanks a lot. Well done. Now let’s check how the pupils who worked at the board completed their task.( Children go to the board in turn , check whether the columns are filled in the proper way and correct if there is something that needs correcting.)
5 Listening to a recording of a weather forecast-1-2 min:
T: You agree with me that it’s impossible to imagine our life without mass communica-tions,they inform and entertain us 24 hours a day .Every morning we get up, what do we do first? We make our beds, do morning exercises, dress, fix our breakfasts and, of course, turn the TV set or the radio on to listen to the latest events or, at least, to the weather forecast.By the way, have you heard the weather forecast for today? You haven’t. Let’s listen.
A weather forecast.
Let’s look now at the weather map. It’s 6 degrees Celsius now outside our studio. Our low tonight will be 4.C The humidity is a damp 75%, with winds from the northwest. Now, let’s look at the forecast for tomorrow. It will be colder, with a high of 5 C.We might get some of the snow, but probably we’ll have a little rain instead. The rest of the Northeast will be gray and overcast. We might get some cold winds tomorrow from the northwest, and they might bring us some of that snow. So keep that in mind if you’re driving this weekend, because Sunday looks like more of the same.
Feedback on the listening.
1. What is the temperature outside? 2. What will the weather be like tomorrow? 3.Will it be colder? 4 We might get some of the snow tomorrow, might we not? 5.What must we keep in mind?
6 Chain-drill-3-4 min:
T: Very good, thank you very much. During the previous lessons we have read a lot about the television. Let’s remind what we have learned.(The pupils sit in a circle. The teacher starts asking the first pupil in the circle. The pupil must answer the question and ask his neighbour, etc.)
E.g. T:Television is one of the most beautiful inventions of the 20th century, isn’t it?
P1: Yes, that’s right. Do you know when the first film was shown?
P2: Yes, I do. It was shown in Paris in 1895 to the audience of 33 people.What were the first films like?
P3: They were black-and-white, mute, ordinary. Nowadays such films are our history. Do you like to watch mute films?
P4: Yes, I do. I enjoy watching films with great Charles Chaplin. Do people in Ukraine have a large choice between different TV channels?
P5: Yes, they do. The most popular Ukrainian channels are “1+1”, “Inter”. What are the most famous English TV channels?
P6: As far as I know they are BBC 1, BBC 2, Channel 4, etc.
7 Matching the words-2 min:
T: That’s nice. I’m pleased with your work. Now, I’ll give you the strips of paper , on some of them you will find the descriptions of different types of TV programs, on others the names of TV programs are written. Look at these descriptions and match them with the corresponding TV programs.
Descriptions |
TV programs |
1) Whatching this program you may find out about boxing from Kyyiv, swimming from Sidney and football from Liverpool. |
This is the animated cartoon. |
2) More adventures from Disneyland with Donald Duck. |
This is a quiz-show “The First Million” |
3) A lot of people try to guess the right answer & win wonderful prizes with host Anatoliy Borsiuk.. |
This is the news from the sports world. |
4)The superb filming in this program is about the disappearing forests of the South America. Will the world have oxygen? |
This is a play. |
5) This is a new production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet” at the Covent Garden, London. |
This is a documentary. |
6) Tomorrow’s weather. |
This is a music program. |
7) The latest events in the world of music, the fresh information about popular Ukrainian and foreign singers, this week’s top ten. |
This is a weather forecast.. |
8 A dialogue-3 min:
T: Excellent work. Now, try to use your creativity and describe one of your favourite programs. The name of the program shouldn’t be mentioned. (Two pupils act out the dialogue. The rest of the pupils listen to their classmates and try to guess what program they are talking about. Note: have the pupils prepare their dialogues for hometask. After each pair speaks, encourage the other pupils to ask additional questions to elicit more information.)
My favourite TV program.
P1:Hi!
P2: Hi! Haven’t seen you for ages. How are you?
P1: Fine. And you?
P2: Fine too. What are you doing tonight? Are you going out?
P1: No…, I think no. I’ve gone through the TV times. There’s an interesting program on tonight. My favourite one.
P2: What is it? Is it anything new?
P1: I wouldn’t say so. It has been on TV for more than 10 years, if I’m not mistaken, but it’s still very popular. I always watch it with a great pleasure.
P2: Oh, it might be something exciting.
P1: Yes, it is. It’s an intellectual game, 9 people can participate, but only one may win. A winner gets a lot of lovely prizes, often very expensive.Just imagine, you may become the owner of a new car!
P2: That’s great. What about the rules of the game, aren’t they difficult?
P1: In fact the rules are very simple There.are 3 rounds, the winner of each round takes part in the final game. The task is to guess the word letter by letter.
P2:It’s so easy!
P1:I don’t agree with you. The words refer to different spheres of our life. I think you must be well-educated to take part in this game.
P2: Who is a host of the quiz-show?
P1: A very clever and funny man, he makes people laugh all the time.
P2: At what time is this entertainment on?
P1: At 7 p.m.
P2: Would you like to try your luck in the game?
P1: Well, perhaps, someday. I am not ready now. I just enjoy watching it every Friday and try to guess the right answer. When I do it I feel like a winner.Oh, my God.The game will start in 10 minutes. I must go, I don’t want to miss it.Bye. See you later.
P2: Bye for now. Enjoy the show.
(A brain-game“A Field of Miracles”)
9 Reading-5 min:
T: Thank you , it was outstanding.
Speaking about mass communications we should keep in mind that the media comprises both television & press..
Pre-reading task.
Let’s work in groups.Write as many functions of the press as you can.( Children write:to entertain
us, to keep people well-informed, to enrich our outlook, to reflect our life.) Compare what other members of your group have written.
Reading for gist.
Well done.Now, let’s read the text “Newspapers & magazines I like to read.”
Comprehension check.
a)We must be very selective reading the press, must we not?
b)What types of newspapers and magazines do you know?
c)What do the articles on the first page cover? How are they called?
d)Do you know any newspapers and magazines published in English?
10 Working on the poem “A Newspaper”-2 min:
T: That’s nice. Now, listen to the poem by Stephen Crane and tell the author’s opinion on the role of the press in our world ; prepare arguments either supporting or disputing the topic. (Apupil recites the poem, children discuss the author’s point of view, share their own opinions.)
A newspaper is a court A newspaper is a game
Where every is kindly and unfairly tried Where his error scores the player victory
By a squalor of honest men. While another’s skill wins death.
A newspaper is a market A newspaper is a symbol.
Where wisdom sells its freedom It is fatless life’s chronicle,
And melons are crowned by the crowd. A collection of loud tales.
11 A newspaper presentation-2-3 min:
T: Dear children! I’ve got a surprise for you.We have two guests-the editors-in-chief of a school newspaper New Generation. They’d like to represent their newspaper to us. .Hope you’ll find its articles interesting and useful.(Two pupils represent one of the issues of a school newspaper. Note: you may prepare the presentation of any newspaper or magazine you like before.)
A newspaper presentation.
P1: Hi! We are glad to welcome you.
P2: Hello! Nice to meet you at school today.
P1: We are the members of the editorial staff of the school newspaper.
P2: Our newspaper is called New Generation. It’s about teenagers-about us, our interests, hobbies, problems. Do you like the cover?
P1: We publish 4 issues a year, they deal with important questions that interest young people the most, cover significant cultural, educational, sports news, give full attention to the latest school events.
P2: On the cover you may see the list of articles which you can read in the given issue. You look and choose which one is to your taste.
P1: Let’s look through the newspaper. The primary attention is certainly given to the regional seminar held at our school this month. The editorial is about marks. Oh, it’s a matter of great importance,it always brings on a lot of conflicts between a pupil and a teacher.
P2: You’ll have a good time reading a column”The ideal pupil is…” Teachers share with us their thoughts about the ideal pupil. Well, so many men so many minds.
P1: Congratulations to the winners of the regional olympiads, their names are on page 2.They may be proud of themselves, they are the best!
P2: Let’s turn to the third page, where you can find the most striking article of today’s issue”The problems of the youth’. It deals with the following:misunderstanding between young people and their parents or teachers on such questions as music young people like to listen to, their style in clothes, smoking, drinking. We’ll appreciate much your response to this article.
P1: You’ll also be able to estimate the literary works of your schoolmates, to enjoy the readers’ letters, to learn something new and interesting reading the column ”From the English-Speaking World.”
P2: We came to the last page. You want to laugh-read some funny stories, want your brains to work-try a crossword, your best friend has a birthday-congratulate him or her on the pages of our newspaper.
P1: Thanks a lot for your attention. Hope much you’ll like New Generation and become its devoted reader.
12 A role-play-5 min:
T: By no means, it’s wonderful to know English-you may read foreign press, watch English programs. But what do we know about British mass media? We are lucky. There is a talk-show devoted to this matter on one of channels. Let’s move from the class to the studio. The host of the program is greeting us.(Two pupils-the host of the show and the guest of the program---the editor-in-chief of the English newspaper The Daily Mirror – come to the front of the classroom, take the “hot seats” and speak for three minutes about British mass media. One pupil initiates the interview with the question; the second responds. The other pupils are the audience in the studio, they ask questions to get more information ).
The host: Hi, this is Anna Bezulyk, welcome to our talk-show I Think So. We are going to speak about mass media in Great Britain.Our guest-the editor-in-chief of the popular British newspaper “The Daily Mirror”.
Mrs Brown, as far as I know, the British are great newspaper readers.
Mrs Brown: That’s right. You can’t imagine the Englishman without a newspaper or a magazine.
The host: What are the most important papers?
Mrs Brown: The most important popular papers are The Sun, Today, The Daily Mail, The Daily Mirror.
The host:Is there any difference between them?
Mrs Brown: I think, no other country has such a great variety of papers as England.
The host: How many radio stations and TV channels are there in Great Britain?
Mrs Brown: There are 4 nationwide radio stations and 4 TV channels:two belong to the BBC and are BBC1.and BBC2.
The questions from the audience in the studio:
P1: Mrs Brown, you remarked that the papers differ very much. In which way?
Mrs Brown: They differ in the type of news and the way they report it.The daily press in Britain is divided into two distinct groups: the quality press and the popular press. Quality papers are thick, well-written and speak about politics and current affairs. Popular papers have millions of readers. They speak about sports, fashion, sex and crimes. They are also called “tabloids”( small size papers).I’ve already mentioned them: Today, The Sun and others.
P2: Would you name some of the quality papers, please?
Mrs Brown: Certainly. The most important quality papers are The Times, Britain’s oldest newspaper, The Guardian, The Telegraph with a circulation of more than a million daily.
P3: Mrs Brown, you’ve mentioned two of four TV channels. What are the rest two?
Mrs Brown: There are BBC1, BBC2, and two Independent Channels-ITV and Channel 4. Now there are also satellite channels specializing in films, sports, etc.
P4: What channels are considered to be the best?
Mrs Brown: BBC1 and BBC2, they have no advertising.
P5: Do they differ?
Mrs Brown: Not very much.They broadcasts a wide range of programs with a heavy accent on educational programs.
The host: Unfortunately our program is coming to the end. Thank you a lot, Mrs Brown, for being with us this evening, also my thanks to everybody who took an active part in the discussion. It was Anna Bezulyk and a talk-show I Think So. Be with us.
T: Great! Thank you very much.
13 Scan Reading.The description of TV channels-2 min:
T: Now we’ll work in pairs. You are going to look at a page from a British newspaper which gives the television programs for one day. Answer the questions as quickly as possible. This is a competition.See who can finish first.(Children look at a page and answer the questions.)
T: Super job. You are the winners.(The winners are the pupils who answered first. The teacher announces a pair who won a competition.)
14 The video-report-2 min:
T: You agree with me that to work on TV or for a newspaper is hard but very interesting. The professions of a TV reporter, an announcer or a journalist are very important and prestigious nowadays. One of the pupils pretended to be a television reporter and prepared the video-report from the local museum about the present exhibition of the famous sculptor Ostap Pasika for the local channel TV-4.(Note:the task is to be done as home assignment before. The subject-matters can be different: school news, local news, competitions, olympiads, festivities, exhibitions, etc.)
T: Fantastic.Thanks a lot for your creative work. It was terrific.You are a real TV reporter.
15 The interview-5 min:
T: And now, all of you are television reporters or journalists. You are interviewing:a) a famous sportsman, b) a popular writer, c) a film star, d) a singer or a famous group.
(The interview is based on a list of questions used to draw out a wide variety of information, personal experience, and opinions.The pupils get the cards with the names of their characters on and the essential information about them. E.g. Joanne Rowling : Born in Scotland, adored reading as a child, studied languages at the university, started to write the story of Harry Potter when she was an unemployed divorced mother,1997-the first edition of The Philosopher’s Stone appeared, 2000-the most recent book, The Goblet of Fire, was launched in Britain., together four books have sold 40 million copies worldwide,etc. The teacher divides the pupils into pairs or groups and has them prepare the interviews for three to five minutes, then asks the pupils to act out these interviews. Note: If new vocabulary has been introduced, ask the pupils to use the new words or phrases.)
E.g. The interview with a popular British group”Backstreet Boys”. The suggested questions:
1)When did you realize that music ( sport, writing , etc.) was your calling?
2)Have you experienced a lot of failures in your life?
3)What do you think made you a super-star (a popular writer, a famous football player,etc.)?
4)Does the way you dress play an important role for you?
5)Would you tell a few words about your usual day, please?(your likes & dislikes, your hobbies, etc.)
6)What are your plans for future?
7)What would you wish our viewers ( your readers, fans, etc. )?
16 Listening to a song-1-2 min:
T: Bravo! Thanks a lot for the interesting interview. Now, it would be very nice to listen to the group’s performance. While they are singing we’ll fulfill the following task. I’ll give you the sheets of paper with the words of the song, some words are missing. You must listen attentively and fill in the gaps.( The pupils get the sheets of paper with the words of the song”Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely”. Four pupils who acted as the members of a group sing a song. The rest of pupils listen and insert the missing words.)
17Speaking-5-6 min:
Discussion:
T: How important is television to you? Answer these questions honestly!
Group work:
T: Good, thank you. Now, let’s work in groups .There are good and bad points about televi-
sion . Say with which of the options you agree or disagree, give your reasons. Be polite, don’t change your mind whatever your opponent says! ( The teacher divides the pupils into two large
groups, sets the time limit for ten minutes and then leads a discussion based on the opening statements, asking for clarification, agreement and disagreement.At the end of the time, ask pupils of both groups if they have changed their attitude after talking to their partners.)
Good points |
Bad points |
1) It keeps us informed about the rest of the world. |
1) It stops people talking. Children don’t develop their speech habits. |
2) It helps us to relax after a hard day’s work. |
2) We get lazy; we don’t read, our brain doesn’t work. |
3) We become more cultured people by learning more of the arts. |
3) It leads to poor health. |
4) It entertains us. |
4)Violence and crime are present on television. |
T: Great! I see nothing can stop you now, but we must do one more thing before the lesson is over.
18 Questionnaire-1-2 min:
T: Read this questionnaire and choose one of the answers a), b), c) for each question. If you do not like any of the suggestions, write your own idea.
19 Summary-1 min:
T: Dear pupils! Thank you very much for the nice lesson. All of you worked hard doing your best. I am proud of you.( Then the teacher draws pupils’ attention to the main points of the lesson and announces the marks.)
20 Home assignment-1 min:
T: Write a letter to a newspaper or a magazine telling about the story of an interesting, surprising or embarrassing experience you had.
Our lesson is over. Good-bye.
1) Watching this program you may find out about boxing from Kyyiv, swimming from Sidney and football from Liverpool. |
This is the animated cartoon. |
2) More adventures from Disneyland with Chip and Dayle.
|
This is a quiz-show “The First Million” |
3) A lot of people try to guess the right answer & win wonderful prizes with a host Stupka |
This is the news from the sports world. |
4)The superb filming in this program is about the air pollution in big cities. |
This is a play. |
5) This is a new production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet” at the Covent Garden, London.
|
This is a documentary. |
6) Tomorrow’s weather.
|
This is a music program. |
7) The latest events in the world of music, the fresh information about popular Ukrainian and foreign singers, this week’s top ten. |
This is a weather forecast. |