Конспект уроку з англійської мови для 8 класу на тему "The Geography and Climate of Ukraine"

Objectives:

• Practical: to revise vocabulary which concerns the theme, to practise reading, speaking.
• Educational: to activate pupils’ speaking skills through various creative activities, to teach pupils to be quick-witted.
• Developing: to develop pupils’ creative imagination, logical thinking and memory; to develop students’ abilities to read effectively.
• Upbringing: to develop students’ respect for their native country, its traditions and culture; to cultivate pupils’ love for their native land.

Equipment: cards, the map of Ukraine, hand out” Key-facts”, the poem “Bridges”, texts about some famous places of Ukraine

Type of the lesson: speaking lesson

                                                                                                       

Procedure

Love Ukraine as you would love the sun,

The wind, the grass and the streams together…

Love her in happy hours, when joys are won,

And love her in time of stormy weather.

By Volodymyr Sosiura

I. The beginning of the lesson

1. Greeting.

T: Good afternoon, pupils.

Ps: Good afternoon, teacher.

T: It’s so nice to see you today. How are you?

Ps: We are fine, thank you.

2. Introducing the theme and aims.

T: The motto of our lesson is the famous Shevchenko’s words: “Learn a plenty of the foreign and don’t avoid your own”. The topic of our today’s lesson is “The Geography and Climate of Ukraine”. Today we are going to speak about the geographical position and climate of Ukraine, some famous places of our country, practise the Present Perfect Passive Tense. By the end of the lesson you should be able to recognize and understand new words and word combinations in the text, to read and understand the gist and details despite the natural difficulties, to talk about the geographical position and climate of Ukraine.

3. Warming up.

T: Read the poem (By Edith Segal) and say what kind of bridges the author speaks of.

If I were a builder,

I’d make big bridges,

Bridges to far-away lands:

To Asia, to Africa, South America,

Bridges to Europe, Iceland, Iraq.

I’d walk round the world

To visit the people,

And when we shook hands

We’d make little bridges.

T: These bridges are between different countries and different peoples but today we’ll speak about Ukraine – our Motherland.

1. Vocabulary practice.

T: a) Underline two of the words on the right which are associated with or are part
 of the word on the left.

• The most important town in a country... (capital)
• A large town... (city)
• A rounded and raised landform, not as high as mountain... (hill)
• Low ground between hills... (valley)
• A body of land surrounded by water, smaller than a continent... (island)
• A big piece of water with land around it... (lake)
• A large stream of water that flows across the land... (river)
• The body of salt water covering nearly three fourths of the Earth's surface... (ocean)
• The weather that a place has... (coast)

2. Pronunciation drill.

Exercise 1a, page 115.

T: Let’s pronounce the following geographical names correctly.

Countries: Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Belarus, Russia.

Mountains: the Carpathian Mountains, the Crimean Mountains, Roman-Kosh, Hoverla.

Rivers: the Dnieper, the Dniester, the Danube, the Southern Buh, the Siverskyi Donets.

Lakes: Lake Yalpuh, Lake Svitiaz.

Seas: the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov.

3. Work with the map of Ukraine.

T: Look at the map of Ukraine and point to:

• countries Ukraine borders on;
• mountains;
• rivers;
• lakes;
• seas Ukraine is washed by;
• large sea-ports;
• capital.

4. Reading.

1) Pre-Reading Activity.

a) Problem solving.

Is the geographical position of our country suitable for the development of its relations with foreign countries and its industrial development?

b) Can you answer these questions before reading the text? Can you answer these questions after reading the text? Tick the correct box.

Can you tell	Before reading		After reading
	Yes	No	Yes	No
what the territory of Ukraine is?
what countries Ukraine borders on?
what Ukraine is washed by?
what mountains are on the territory of Ukraine?
what main rivers there are in Ukraine?
what climate is in Ukraine?
what nationalities live in Ukraine?

2) While-Reading Activity.

Exercise 2, page 116.

The Geography and Climate of Ukraine

Ukraine is one of the largest countries in Eastern Europe. It covers an area of 603,700 square kilometers. Its territory stretches for 893 kilometres from the north to the south and for 1,316 kilometres from the east to the west. Ukraine borders on Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania. On the south it is washed by the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The major part of Ukraine is flat and only 5% (per cent) of the whole territory is mountainous.

The two mountainous areas in Ukraine are the Catpathians and the Crimean Mountains, but they are not high. The main rivers are the Dnieper, the Dniester, the Buh, the Donets and others.

The climate is mild and soft in the west and in the centre, warm and dry in the east and hot in the south. The flora of Ukraine is rich in a great variety of plants, which number up to 16, 000. The animal life is also unusual and specific.

The population of Ukraine is 47 million inhabitants. Many nationalities inhabit our country: Ukrainians, Russians, Jews, Poles, Belarusians, Moldovians, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Czechs, Greek, etc.

T: Complete the sentences. 

    1. Ukraine covers an area of ... 

2. Its territory stretches for ... 

3. Our country borders on ... 

4. Ukraine is washed by ... 

5. The two mountainous areas are ... 

6. The main rivers are ... 

7. The climate is ... 

8. The flora of Ukraine is ... 

9. The fauna (animal life) is ... 

10. The population of Ukraine is ... 

3) Post-Reading Activity.

a) Role-play the situation in pairs.

                            

T: You are in one of British schools. The British teacher of Geography wants his/her pupils to know more about Ukraine. Answer his/her questions.

Possible questions:

• Where is Ukraine situated?
• What can you say about its geographical position?
• Which countries does it border on?
• What seas is Ukraine washed by?
• What part of Ukraine is occupied by the mountains?
• Is Ukraine visited by tourists?
• What are the tops of high mountains usually covered with?
• What nationalities is your country inhabited with?
• Which sea is the southern part of Ukraine washed by?
• What languages are spoken in Ukraine?

b) Represent some famous places of Ukraine.

T: Ukraine is a wonderful country as it is full of famous places of interest. Here are some of them. You are suggested to look at them and guess them.

 

P1: It’s one of the attractive corners of our country. You can ski there in winter and decorate the New Year tree which grows in the forest. You can climb the Mountains and breathe in the fresh air. You can pick up berries and mushrooms there in summer. In the evening you can enjoy tasty Ukrainian dishes at the local inn. (The Carpathians)
P2: If you are a fun-loving person you should go there in April. This place is considered the funniest place in our country. People gather there once a year to have a lot of fun. A lot of famous people come there to take part in the humorous holiday of the year and laugh a lot with thousands of the guests of this place. (Odessa, Deribasovskaya Street)
P3: If you like the sea and the mountains, if you love the sun and the fresh air, come to this place. You will find the gentle sea and good beaches, mountain lakes and waterfalls, ruins of ancient fortresses. The beauty of this place attracts a lot of tourists. Many poets who visited this place wrote poems about this beautiful land. (The Crimea)

5. Group work.

T: Let’s divide into three groups and do some tasks.

a) Students are divided into 2 groups to decide what to say about Ukraine. You are to complete the table on the blackboard.

 • Representatives of the groups write, read and comment on their ideas.

 • Students speak about Ukraine according to their  plans.

 

6. Relaxation.

 

A Rainy Day Episode

It was raining hard, but when I went to take an umbrella, I found out of the five umbrellas we have at home there was not one I could use. I decided to take the five umbrellas to an umbrella-maker.

So I took them, left them at the umbrella-maker’s, saying that I would call for the umbrellas on my way home in the evening. When I went to dine in the afternoon, it was still raining very hard. I went to the nearby restaurant, sat down at a table and had been there only a few minutes when a young woman came and sat down at the same table with me. I was the first to finish and when I got up, I absent-mindedly took her umbrella and started to the door. She called out to me and reminded me that I had taken her umbrella. I returned it to her with many apologies.

In the evening I called for my umbrellas, bought a newspaper and got on a tram. The young woman was in the tram too. She looked at me and said: “You’ve had a successful day today, haven’t you?”

T: Guess the riddle: What is the worst sort of weather for mice and rabbits? (A storm when it rains cats and dogs.)

T: Using the information from your Geography lessons speak about the climate of Ukraine. The work in pairs and make up a dialogue between a travel agent and a customer, who wants to visit the country and wants to know something about it.

In general the country's climate moderate-continental, subtropical only in the southern part of the Crimea. The differences in climate are caused  by many factors: landscape, distance to and oceans... The climate varies not only from the north to the south, but from the northwest to the southwest as the warm air masses are moving from northwestern part of Atlantic Ocean.

The average temperature in Ukraine varies between +5; +7 °C in the and +11; +13°C in the south.

The coldest month is January with a record low of -42 °C. The warmest month is July with a record high of +40 °C. Rain and snow ranges from about 76 cm a year in the north to about 23 cm in the south. The highest rainfall is in Carpathian and Crimean mountains.

T: Let’s organize a discussion on the following questions.

What practical advice would you give to a visitor about the weather in Ukraine?

What clothes should they bring in summer? In winter?

8. Writing.

T: Look through the weather forecast and write down your own.

WEATHER FORECAST

1. Sunny weather with occasional showers. The temperature is 25 degrees above zero. The wind is from the west.

2. Rain. Wind moderate to strong. An east wind is blowing, 5 metres a second. The atmospheric pressure is... .

3. Cold weather and snow in Kharkiv region. The temperature is -20. Wind from the north-east. A blizzard is possible.

9. Revising vocabulary and grammar (Tasks of different pupils’ levels).

T: Let’s do some grammar exercises.

a) Fill in the blanks with the words from the box.

1) The Ukrainian __ is blue and yellow.

2) There are two __ on the Ukrainian flag.

3) There are twenty-five __ in Ukraine.

4) The __ of Ukraine is temperate.

5) The __ of the country is about 48 million people.

6) Ukraine occupies __ of 603.700 km².

7) The biggest __ are Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, Odesa and others.

b) Rewrite the sentences in Present Perfect Passive.

• Victor has been abroad for ten years. Now he is back to Odessa and sees many changes. Say what Victor noticed.

1. They’ve built a new hospital.

2. They’ve rebuilt the old library.

3. They’ve turned the city centre into a real shopping area.

4. They’ve opened a theatre.

5. They’ve changed the names of some streets.

6. They’ve closed the city open market.

7. They’ve planed many trees.

8. They’ve built a new school.

Example: Victor sees that a new hospital has been built.

c) Change the sentences into the Active or Passive. Pupils are suggested a set of cards with some sentences in the Present Perfect Active or Present Perfect Passive. One by one they should take a card with the sentence and change it.

• We have just cooked dinner.
• The report has already been prepared.
• This bike has never been repaired.
• You haven’t returned me this book yet.
• I have just washed the car.
• The room has been cleaned.
• They have postponed the concert.
• They have built a new hospital near the airport.
• I haven’t walked the dog yet.
• The postman has just delivered the newspapers.

10. Speaking.

T: Speak about Ukraine using the Key-facts.

Key-facts

•                 Official name:
•                 Area:
•                 Extension:
•                 Borders on:
•                 Population:
•                 Main  river:
•                 The highest mountain:
•                 Capital:
•                 Climate:

11. Pair work.

T: Complete the following dialogues.

a) A: Oh, goodness gracious! Now, do you look up at the sky? I’ve never seen such black clouds. Oh, we’ll get drenched!

B: ____________________________________________________________________

b) A: A thunderstorm is certainly coming on! Do you think we’ll have time to get our boat to the shore before the storm breaks out?

B: ____________________________________________________________________

c) A: What does it look like outdoors?

B: ____________________________________________________________________

d) A: The sun is trying to come out. Shall we go to the suburbs?

B: ____________________________________________________________________

e) A: What’s the weather forecast for today, do you know?

B: ____________________________________________________________________

f) A: The first snowfall of the season! What a beautiful sight! I’m going out. Are you?

B: ____________________________________________________________________

g) A: I’d like to go to the Crimea, but I’m so afraid of the heat. How about you?

B: ____________________________________________________________________

III. Finishing the lesson.

1. Summing up.

T: What have we done at the lessons? Is the geographical position of our country suitable for the development of its relations with foreign countries?

2. Homework.

T: Learn the words.

Group 1: WB Exercise 6, page 118.

Group 2: Make up a dialogue about the weather in different seasons of the year.

Group 3: Make your presentation about one of Ukrainian city (town).

3. Analysis of pupils’ answers. Assessments.

T: Dear children, I’m extremely happy because you’ve done your best. Your work was up to the mark. Some of you were active, others were not so active. So I give you... .