Урок на тему "Готуємось до іспитів"

      Tetyana Kurinna

              Lyceum  31

                                                                         Zhytomyr

Topic: Exams, exams…

Objectives:

 by the end of the lesson the pupils will be able to:

 -  communicate in groups on exam issues in a simulated situation;

 -   read and understand the information on exam issues in details;

 -  watch a video on exam anxiety and find specific information;

 -  simulate an English exam;

 -  cooperate for bridging the information gap;

 -  be well-organised, confident and sure in their abilities preparing and taking exams;

The Procedure

 I. Introduction

 Good morning, everybody. It’s so nice to see you. You know yesterday I was looking through old photos and came across an old picture which brought me back to the time of my adolescence when I was your age. The photo was taken at my English exam. And do you know what I was surprised at – I realized that I wasn’t afraid, I was relaxed and may be too self-confident. What about your feelings? Are you afraid of exams? Please, raise your hands who are afraid of exams.

 (on a piece of paper we tick pupils who are/aren’t afraid of exams)

 (Ss’s answers)

 I know that at the end of the 9^th form you are going to take your exams. How many exams are you going to have? What subjects are they going to be in?

 (Ss’s answers)

 Which of them is going to be the most difficult to you and why?

 (Ss’s answers)

 Today at our lesson you are going to have a unique opportunity to try your hand at passing an exam in English. It’s going to be a kind of rehearsal before the big date in June and I’m sure it will help you pass exams successfully in the future.

II. Main part

1.Phonetic drill

# Let’s look at the wisdom of the past. Read the saying and say what message (idea) it has for you.

   Mind your low fall to stress the wisdom of each. Let me start. If you agree let’s say it together.

  Everything is sweetened by risk.

  The proof of the pudding is in its eating.

  It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.

  Live your beliefs and you can turn the world around.

  Always do what you are afraid to do. (Ralph Waldo Emerson, US philosopher)

  2.  Reading and speaking.

  -pre-reading

          Of course, you know there are some useful exam strategies for passing your exams. Do you know your exam structure? Let’s check ( on the board R- reading, W- writing, S-                                           speaking, so  we are mostly interested in these strategies. Now let’s work in three groups, choose your colour. (Students are choosing paper pieces of three colours: red, green and                             blue; red – reading, green – writing, blue – speaking). Now each group should think of at least two useful strategies in each category. 

  (Ss’s answers)

  -while-reading

   In groups you are going to read some tips given by your teachers, complete your notes please.

  Reading tips

 -read the instructions before doing the task. The task will affect the way you read the text.

 -try to work out what kind of text is it – it may give you some ideas of what to expect.

 -read the key information the first. A title helps to decide on a general idea of a text and the first sentence of each paragraph often summarises the whole paragraph.

 -underline parts of the text relevant to the questions (single words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs)

 -don’t leave any questions unanswered, if you are not sure – guess! Always check if you have answered all the questions.

 -don’t spend too much time on one specific exercise – your time in the exam is limited.

 Writing tips

 -read the instructions carefully – what kind of writing task is it?

 -read the information you need to include in your writing.

 -write a plan detailing information you want to include in each paragraph. If you have time, write a draft copy or a few key sentences.

 -check that you have included all the information that is required. Use linking words so that your writing is coherent and logical.

 -check your writing style – have you used formal or informal language as required?

 -check (if it is a longer text) that you have an introduction, a middle and an end.

 -check your grammar and spelling.

 -don’t write more than the word limit. Think about the number of words you need for each paragraph when you write your plan.

 -don’t repeat yourself – try to use varied vocabulary and grammar structures.

  Speaking tips

 -try to stick to the aim of the task. Always keep the question in mind when answering.

 -do not panic if you cannot remember a word. Use a word that has a similar meaning or give a definition or description of the world.

 -if you do not understand what an examiner has said, ask him/her to repeat him/herself. You can also repeat the information you have been given, in this way, you can make sure that you have                understood it correctly.

 -if you are not ready with you answers and need time to think, use conversational fillers or hesitation devices (well, let me think, erm…)

 -avoid using the same words and structures – show that you have a varied vocabulary and can use a range of grammar structures.

 -if you are taken the exam with another person, make sure you listen as well as speak – don’t dominate the conversation.

  -post-reading

   #Now let’s rearrange the groups (I group – a, b, c; II and III). Let’s form new groups. Exchange the information in your groups.

 3. Watching and listening

  # now you are going to watch a video and add some more tips how to survive an exam but this time they are from students who have already survived one.

   (video: www.exdexel.com)

  # I think you have enough information. Let’s discuss the most valuable tips.

4. Simulation

 -  I think it’s time to try our hand at taking exams. Let’s imagine it’s the fourteenth of June. It’s the day of your English exam. There are three teachers at our exam, all the  rest are students. (the pupils are choosing papers with their roles). Teachers should choose tasks for our students, listen to students and evaluate them commenting on each students’ answers. The students  are  going to take an English exam doing tasks in reading, writing and speaking.

5. Writing

- My congratulations to students who have passed their exam successfully. Now you are going to contribute our future generation writing some tips for them ‘How to survive an exam, how to overcome exam anxiety.’ Describing and adding your thoughts and feelings.

(students are writing – 2 min)

Now let’s read some of your tips and put them into this ‘Time capsule’. Next year our future 9^th form will open it and read all useful information. We hope it will prove useful top them and they’ll be thankful to you.

III. Conclusion

1. Hometask
   • at home, please write a memo for yourselves in Do’s and Don’ts how to prepare and survive an exam, I think they will be worth rereading before your real exams in June.

2. Summarising

        Do you remember about our survey at the beginning of our lesson. Now let’s work it out again and compare the results. Who is afraid of exams now?

3. Evaluation.