THE BEST WAY TO HAVE A FRIEND IS TO BE ONE

Theme:

THE BEST WAY TO HAVE A FRIEND IS TO BE ONE

Aims:

1. To develop reading and speaking skills.
2. To widen the pupils’ outlook.
3. To develop the pupils’ socio-linguistic competence.

Equipment: a picture of the route, a table of features, individual cards

INTRODUCTION

People say that the best way to have a friend is to be a friend. And one more proverb says: «My friend is the second l». The people’s experience proved these proverbs many times. All of you have friends, haven’t you? You know them well and like them very much. But do you know your­selves enough to say that you are good friends? Let’s see it during our lesson. The way to get friends is very long and difficult. Let’s go along this road together.

I. MATCHING GAME

To start our trip I want to tell you one golden rule of being friendly. If a British friend asks you a question and you answer with only YES or NO, your friend will think you are “difficult to talk to”.

You should add an extra piece of information.

Ex.: Have you been here before?

        Yes, I have. I was here last year.

To open the gate match up the following questions and answers to make natural dialogues:

1. Have you been to London?                 a) No, I couldn’t afford to.
2. Did you like it?                                   b) No, I was with a friend.
3. Did you go to The Tower?                  c) Yes, I am next Sunday.
4. Were you alone?                                                 d) Yes, I have. Last weekend.
5. Did you go to the theatre?                   e) Yes, it was very interesting.
6. Are you going again?                          f) Oh yes, very much!

2. READING

Now we are in front of the wood. Once a very strange thing happened in this wood. To read about it you have to organize the paragraphs of the story in the logical order.

ANDROCLES AND THE LION

(Greek tale)

A Suddenly he saw' a big lion. Nobody else was seen near him. Androcles became afraid but understood that the lion couldn’t do him any harm. The lion was breathing hard.

B Androcles looked at the lion’s paw and discovered a large thorn in it. It was hidden deep in the paw. Androcles took it away. The lion was happy. They became friends and the lion brought him food every day.

C He wanted to show Androcles that something was wrong with his paw. The lion couldn’t speak the language of people but he wanted to say: «Save me! Protect me! Help me!»

D Androcles was a slave. He ran through the forest. He wanted to hide among high trees. He wanted to run far from the village where he lived and was a slave. He thought his life was very hard, in fact it was impossible. Androcles wanted to save his life in the forest.

E But one day the Emperor’s people caught both Androcles and his friend the lion. They brought them to Rome and separated them. They didn’t give any food to the lion. He became very hungry and then they gave him Androcles to eat.

Please give your variant of the ending of the tale answering such questions:

• What was the lion’s reaction?
• What did the Emperor do?

3.        WORK WITH PROVERBS

You know that there are a lot of proverbs about friendship and friends. To cross the river it is necessary to build a bridge. For that you have to make up proverbs out of the words:

1.              A/ asks/ when/ is/ tomorrow/ there/ friend/ no.
2.              Choose/ salt/ bushel/ before/ with/ you/ him/ a/ eat/ a/ friend/ of.
3.              Whose/ before/ happy/ he/ were/ him/ born/ friends/ is.
4.               Rich/ have/ friends/ they/ who/ true/ are.
5.              May/ meet/ never/ friends/ but/ mountains/ greet.

Answers:

1) When a friend asks there is no tomorrow.

2.  Before you choose a friend eat a bushel of salt with him.
3.  Happy is he whose friends were born before him.
4.  They are rich who have true friends.
5.  Friends may meet but mountains never greet.

4.         GROUPWORK

It is always difficult to climb the hill or the mountain. To do it now you have to deal with this table. Every person is unique. So are you. And who knows you better than you yourself Write down your three positive features of character and three features of your friend’s character that you don’t like. Discuss your cha­racter with each other, proving that you are a unique person.

5. ROLE-PLAY

Imagine you are a captain of a youth te­am that is going to take part in an interna­tional   competition like “Brain ring” Your group is your team.  Introduce everybody stressing his or her best features. React upon your friends’ compliments.

    VI. FRIENDSHIP QUIZ

Now we must pass through the tunnel. It is like the unknown world. And your relations with other people are often the unknown world as well. The actors who went to the boot camp became friends because of what they had experienced together. This meant that they helped and supported each other while making the film. How much would you do for your best friend? Do this quiz and find out.

 WHAT WOULD YOU DO IN THESE SITUATIONS?

1.        You want the same part as your friend in the school play ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Your friend gets the part. You,

A tell your friend to give you the part because she can’t act as well as you can.

B say you wanted the part but are happy that it’s her/him who got it instead.

C give your friend lots of encouragement and help him/her practise the lines.

2.          You and your friend planned to go to a party this Saturday but now your friend has got the flu. You

A go to your friend’s house to keep her/him company instead.

B phone before you go to the party and sympathize with your friend.

C phone your friend after the party and tell him/her what a fantastic time he or she missed.

3.        You go out with a group of friends to a hamburger restaurant. Your friend wants to buy chips too but hasn’t got enough money. You say:

A  Chips are bad for you.

B  I’ll lend you the money.

C  I’ll buy them for you.

4.        You have just bought a new CD of your favourite band and your friend asks to borrow it. You say:

A No way, I’ve just bought it!

B Sure.

C Yes, but I want to listen to’it first.

Now work out your score

1     A – 1      B - 2     C - 3

2     A – 3      B – 2    C – 1

3     A – 1      B – 2    C – 3

4     A – 1      B – 3     C – 2

ANALYSIS

10-12: You have probably lived through a boot camp with your best friends because you would do anything for them. Maybe you should say ‘no’ some­times, they might respect you more for it.

7- 9: You are a very good friend. You do things for your best friends and you are also very honest.

4- 6: You are not very good to your best friends, you will have to be nicer to them if you want to keep them as friends.

VII. PROJECT WORK

After such a long way we are tired. Let’s have a rest. It’s the time for you to think and understand yourselves. Please, write a short advertisement to our school newspaper under the title “I Am Looking for a Friend”. You may use this plan:

Plan

1.       About yourself.
2.        Your interests.
3.        Your friend as you see him/her.

(After the work is done, the teacher sticks all advertisements to a big sheet of paper to make one poster and hangs in the classroom for everybody to read.)

VII. SPEAKING

The Sea of Friendship is now calm and beautiful. But sometimes it can be horrible and dangerous. Do you want to sail in it? Are you sure you are ready for that voyage? There are some expressions of famous people written on the blackboard. Agree or disagree with them and prove your ideas. It will be your tick­et to our ship.

“Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.”

Benjamin Franklin

“The best way to destroy your enemy is to make him your friend.”

Abraham Lincoln

“Money can’t buy friends, but you get a better class of enemy.”

Spike Milligan, Irish comedian

“Associate with men of good quality, if you esteem your own reputation, for it better to be alone than in bad company.”

George Washington

9.  SUMMARIZING.
10.  HOMETASK

  Write a short composition about your real friend.