Урок "NEW SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD"

NEW SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD

Objectives:

•          to activate pupils’ vocabulary;
•          to practice pupils’ speaking, listening, reading and writing skills;
•          to develop creative thinking;
•          to enrich pupils’ knowledge about wonders of the world;

          -    to get interested in learning the language.

Equipment:

                multimedia projector, handouts for reading, cards with writing tasks, video

                fragments “New seven wonders of the world”.

Procedure

I.Introduction

 Teacher: Hello, friends! Please take your seats. How are you today?

Pupils: We’re fine, thanks. And you?

Teacher: I am fine too. Thank you. Let’s start our lesson. We have got a lot of things to show and discuss today. If you look at the blackboard , you will see the topic of our lesson. You should  match the two halves of each word and make a sentence:

se    won      the            wor   

new     of      ven         ld        ders

Yes, you are right, this is the theme of our lesson today.

II.Warming up

Teacher:First of all I would like you to answer my questions:

1.What exactly is a wonder?

2.How do you understand the meaning of the word ?

Possible answers:

•          It’s something unusual.

-    It’s something subjective.

•          A wonder is something that causes surprise and admiration.

Teacher:Let’s read the definitions of the word”wonder.”

Wonder is a feeling of strangeness, surprise, etc. usually combined with admiration, that is produced by something unusually fine or beautiful, or by something unexpected or new to one’s experience;
Wonder is something that causes this feeling especially a wonderfully made object;
Wonder is a wonderful person, especially one who is able to do things that need great skills, cleverness or effort.

Teacher:Well, now you understand the meaning of the word ”wonder”. I want you to use your knowledge of this phenomenon during the lesson.

Teacher: Why were only 7 masterpieces considered as wonders? Why not 5 or 6?

(The possible answer: The number 7 was chosen because the Greeks believed it to be the symbol of perfection and plenty. This number means “wisdom” and brings happiness).

Teacher: You are future creators and scientists, soon this world will belong to you and you have to decide, what to do. Our world is full of mysteries and mysterious places.
     Let us remember what man- made wonders are known all over the world. Look at the picture. Can you name this wonder?

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA, TAJ MAHAL, THE ROMAN COLOSSEUM, THE CITY OF PETRA, CHRIST THE REDEEMER, CHICHEN ITZA, MACHU PICCHU.

III. General part:

Teacher: People created a lot of precious buildings and monuments later. They are worth of admiration and our next point of view is your projects. You work several lessons on them and it’s high time to present them to us.

1.Presentation.

CHICHEN ITZA

The city had pyramid-shaped temples and palaces, large squares, markets, baths and an astronomical observatory. Although all the buildings of Chichen Itza are now a natural stone colour, most were probably painted - some a bright red - and decorated with carvings and murals.

Why is it a Wonder? Chichen Itza is a monument to a civilization which has completely and mysteriously disappeared. The Egyptians were not the only people who built pyramids. The Maya built them too.

Although scientists know little about the Maya (they had no written language), it is believed that the construction of Chichen Itza began around the 7th century and continued for about 200 years.  

MACHU PICCHU

Machu Picchu is an Inca city high in the Andes Mountains of Peru. The Spanish conquistadors destroyed other Inca cities, but never found Machu Picchu. It was only discovered in 1911.  

Machu Picchu was built more than 500 years ago. It is said that the Inca ruler Pachacuti covered the buildings in the city with gold. About 750 people lived there and used the city for astrological and religious ceremonies.  

The most important buildings in the city are the Temple of the Sun and the Room of the Three Windows. Why is it a Wonder? Machu Picchu is a place of magic and mystery: a hidden city in the clouds. And the last evidence of a long-gone empire.

             THE CITY OF PETRA

The city of Petra was hidden in the mountains of Jordan for thousands of years when a young Swiss explorer Johan Ludwig Burckhardt rediscovered it in 1812.  

You have probably seen Petra's Alkazneh ('The Treasury‘) in the last scenes of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It's only part of the lost city of Petra, one of the earliest known civilizations in the Middle East.

 Temples, tombs, and other buildings in Petra are all carved into the sandstone cliffs. A poet described it as “a rose-red city half as old as time”.

Petra fell into ruin in the 7th century and was unknown to Europeans until the 19th century. Why is it a Wonder? Petra is an example of beauty combined with creative engineering.

TAJ MAHAL

The Taj Mahal at Agra is India's most famous building. It was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in 1630 in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. She died giving birth to their fourteenth child, and her last wish was to be buried in a tomb 'such as the world had never seen before.

20,000 men worked on the Taj Mahal, creating a beautiful, white marble building which gleamed in the sunlight and was reflected in the waters of the pool. Sadly, Shah Jahan became ill in 1657, and this caused a war between his four sons.The third son killed his rivals, took the throne and put his father in prison. However, when Shah Jahan died, his son allowed him to be buried at the Taj Mahal with his wife. Why is it a Wonder? The Taj Mahal is not only a beautiful building, but it's also a symbol of one man's undying love.

    CHRIST THE REDEEMER

Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is 39.6 metres tall, weighs 700 tons and stands on top of a mountain overlooking the city. A symbol of Christianity, the statue has become an icon of Rio and Brazil.  

Christ the Redeemer was designed by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa and sculpted by Paul Landowski a French monument sculptor of Polis origin. Construction began in 1921 and ended in 1931.  

Why is it a Wonder? The statue's open arms are a symbol of both weIcome and protection, a gigantic statement of love and faith.  

         THE ROMAN COLOSSEUM

The Roman Colosseum was built between 70 and 72 AD and was in use for 500 years before it was damaged by an earthquake. It still stands as one of the greatest buildings of ancient Rome. 

The name ' Colosseum ' came from a colossal statue of Emperor Nero that stood nearby for many years. This open-air theatre and sports arena could seat 50,000 people who watched gladiator fights, executions and other spectacles. Gladiator The fights were a popular form of entertainment in ancient Rome.  

Gladiators were specially trained people - slaves, criminals, prisoners of war - who fought each other (as well as wild animals) to death, while blood-thirsty crowds cheered them on. Why is it a Wonder? The Colosseum is a masterpiece of ancient Roman architecture. Besides, almost every sports stadium today is based on its design.

           THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

The Great Wall of China is the largest man-made structure in the world. It stretches across the mountains and deserts of China for thousands of kilometers and can be seen from space!

The Great Wall is actually a series of walls. The first one was built 2,000 years ago to protect the northern borders of China from the Mongol invaders. It was then built and rebuilt and extended until the 17th century, making it the longest building job ever!

Millions of people worked on the Great Wall over the centuries. They were not paid for their work and were fed only enough food to keep them alive. Countless workers lost their lives in the process and many of them were buried in the Wall. There is an old Chinese saying: 'Each stone in the wall represents a life lost in the wall's construction. '

No one knows for sure how long the Great Wall of China is, but it's probably about 6,400 km long. In 2007, researchers set out to measure the Great Wall and to study its route. The project will take four years. Why is it a Wonder? It's the largest man-made monument ever created .

2.Vocabulary practice

3.Speaking.

1. Teacher: Read the information in the notes, then ask and answer the questions.

2. Teacher:Use the notes to describe each landmark.

4.Listening.

Teacher: Read the questions, then listen and circle the correct answer.

Ex.16p.66

Teacher: Read the newspaper article and fill in the gaps with the verbs in brackets, using the passive.

Ex.17p.66

5.Writing.

Teacher: Fill in the gaps with the correct passive tense of the verbs in brackets.

IV.Summing up.

Teacher: Today we have got acquainted with some interesting information about the wonders of the world. I think you are interested in this information. And I suggest to continue working with this theme and to make a project. So, your home task is to find any more information about  wonders. Next lesson we’ll sum up all the information and make our own guide book.

Well. I thank all the participants for taking part in this lesson. You were very nice, clever and cheerful. Of course, you will get excellent marks. Our lesson is over. You may be free. Good-bye.