Урок+презентація "People, Customs and Traditions of the United Kingdom and Ukraine"

Olha Marchuk,

 teacher of English,

 school 4,

 Zmerynka, Vinnytsia region

Suggested level – A2 pre-intermediate
 

Topic: People, Customs and Traditions of the

       United Kingdom and Ukraine

Objectives:

• to develop pupils’ reading, listening and speaking skills;
• to introduce new lexical units;
• to practice pupils’ skills in comparing customs and traditions of different countries;
• to broaden pupils’ outlook.

Learning Outcomes:

children will be able to:

• name Ukrainian national symbols and national symbols of different parts of Great Britain;
• describe Ukrainian and British national character (6-7 sentences);
• make the list of rules of behaviour in Ukraine;
• tell whether he/she believes that some objects or actions are lucky or unlucky.

Equipment: a textbook, a computer, multimedia presentation of the lesson,   

           national symbols of Great Britain and Ukraine, text “British and Ukrainian   

           National Symbols” (HO1), text for listening “British National Character” (HO2),

            text “The Rules of Behaviour in Great Britain” (HO3).

Procedure

I. Introduction

Greeting, information about the theme of the lesson and main directions of work during the lesson.

II. Warming up.

    “Eurojoke about National Stereotypes”. (Slide 2)

T: What kind of people live in France, Germany, England, Italy and so on…?

        Heaven is where the chefs are French,

        The mechanics are German,

        The police are English,

        The lovers are Italian,

        And it’s all organized by Swiss.

        Hell is where the chefs are English,

        The mechanics are French,

        The police are German,

        The lovers are Swiss,

        And it’s all organized by the Italians.         

III. Main part of the lesson.

1. Pre-Reading Activity.

T: Complete the mind map. (Slide 3)

1.               While-Reading Activity

T: Read the text “British and Ukrainian National Symbols”

 and find the pictures of the marked words: 1. kilt, 2. a bagpipe, 3. bandura, 4. harp, 5. red rose, 6. daffodil, 7. shamrock, 8. thistle, 9. snowball tree. (Slide 4)
What other symbols of Ukraine do you know?

                          a                          b                          c                             d

                        e                         f                                g                           h

                            British and Ukrainian National Symbols                       (HO1)

   When people talk about nations, they often think of symbols that are associated with those nations. They can be national clothes, plants or animals, or musical instruments.

   Different nations speak different languages and this is reflected in people’s names. Most Scottish names, for example, have prefixes Mac or Mc (such as MacDonald, McCall), but many Irish names have the prefix O (such as O’Hara). Ukrainian names often end with –ko (as Shevchenko).

   The kilt (1), a skirt with a tartan pattern worn by man, is very well-known symbol of Scotland. Their national musical instrument is bagpipes (2). Ukrainians are known for their beautiful embroidered shirts and banduras (3). The harp (4) is an emblem of both Wales and Ireland. The well-known flower symbols of different parts of Great Britain are the rose (5) for England, the daffodil (6) for Wales, the shamrock (7) for Ireland and the thistle (8) for Scotland. In Ukraine, the snowball tree (9) is a national symbol.

tartan pattern – with coloured crossing stripes

Key: 1 h,   2 h,  3 e,  4 f,  5 g,  6 b,  7 c,  8 d,  9 a.

3 Post-Reading Activity

T: Name the parts of Great Britain according to their national symbols. (Slide 5-8)

4. Pre-Listening Activity

New words:

• ambitious – determined to be successful
• hospitable – welcoming and generous to visitors
• relaxed – feeling calm, comfortable and not worried or annoyed

unconventional – very different from the way people behave, think or dress  (Slide 9)

5 While-Listening Activities

T: ing Activity.
Listen to some people talking about the British. Which of the words or phrases below do they use to describe four British nations? Which of these words can be used to describe Ukrainians?

Ambitious, artistic, careful with money, cold, creative, emotional, friendly, funny, hardworking, hospitable, kind, musical, open, relaxed, reserved, respectful, unconventional, unfriendly, with a sense of humour. (Slide 10)

                        British National Character                             (HO2)

   There are certain stereotypes of national character which are well-known in Britain. For instance, the Irish are called great talkers, the Scots have a reputation for being careful with money, and the Welsh are famouse for their singing ability. The British in general are said to be reserved in manners, dress and speech. They are famouse for their politeness, self-discipline and especially for their sense of humour. British people have a strong sense of humour which sometimes can be hard for foreigners to understand. We asked some people to say what they think about the British. Here’s what they said.

Person1: People are polite here. If you’re driving and want to change lanes, people help you. They always say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. I love their sense of humour. They make me laugh.

Person 2: People are more relaxed here. They don’t get so angry and stressed about things. Everyone in America is ambitious – they want to be rich or important. British people aren’t so conventional. They don’t do what everyone else does.

Person 3: Yes, it’s true British people seem relaxed – in public, anyway. For instance, if a train is late, people don’t get angry, they just go on reading their newspapers. But it’s not because they’re relaxed. It’s because they hate showing their feelings – they hate people looking at them.

Person 4: I do agree about the sense of humour. British people love playing with words – they can be very funny, and they can tell a joke without laughing. I don’t agree that people are polite though – maybe in small towns, but not in big cities like London. Drivers and shop assistants can be very rude.

Person 5: When I’m away from British, I miss the people because they’re so unconventional – they’re all different. You can see it in the way they dress. They’re all individuals.

Person 6: I think, in general people are kind. In a village post office they will probably take the time to ask a little old lady, “How’s your knee?” and they are always ready to help and give money to charities – especially animal charities! They can seem unfriendly, or a bit cold at first, to people they don’t know, but they are not really. A lot of British people are very friendly indeed.

6. Post-Listening Activity

T: Characterize British people. Compare their character with the character of Ukrainian people.

7. Relaxation. Song “This Is the Way…”

e character of Ukrainian people.
and traditions in comparing the

8. Group work.

T: Read some rules of behaviour in Great Britain and make a list of the rules in our country.

                    The Rules of Behaviour in Great Britain                       (HO3)

1. When you are invited to someone’s home, it is nice to take a gift: flowers or chocolate. Sending a thank-you note the next day is also very nice.
2. British people are very punctual. In Britain, people always try to arrive on time. It is impolite to arrive even a few minutes late.
3. If you can’t keep an appointment, call the person you are meeting.
4. Always stand in line when necessary, take your turn and don’t push in front. “Queue jumping” is very impolite.
5. If someone is blocking your way and you would like them to move, say “Excuse me”, and they will move out of your way.
6. It is very good manners to say “please” and “thank you”. It is considered rude if you don’t. You will notice in England that they say “thank you” a lot.
7. If you accidentally bump into someone, say “sorry”. They probably will, too. Even if it was your fault. This is a habit.
8. A smiling face is a welcoming face.
9. Avoid talking loudly in public.
10. It is impolite to stare at anyone in public. Privacy is highly respected.

9. Speaking

T: Different nations have different superstitions –beliefs that some objects or actions are lucky or unlucky. Look at the pictures and answer the questions. 

(Slide 12)
Do you know any superstitions connected with these objects? What are they?
Do you believe in these superstitions? Why? Why not?

                     14                           15                            16                               17

                    18                            19                              20                               21

IV. Summarizing. Home Assignment (Slide 13)

 Write a letter to your pen-friend and tell him / her about Ukrainian people, their character, traditions and superstitions.

Glossary

1. kilt - кілт, спідниця шотландського горця,
2. a bagpipe - волинка,
3. bandura - бандура,
4. harp - арфа,
5. the red rose – червона троянда,
6. the daffodil  - нарцис,
7. the shamrock - конюшина,
8. the thistle - чортополох,
9. the snowball tree - калина.