Урок "The true cost of clothes"

                                            The lesson “The true cost of clothes”

Aims: to expand the vocabulary on the topic “Clothes”

           to develop students’ reading skills, speaking skills, memory, cooperation

           to develop abilities to express thoughts

           to be involved into communicative activities

                to work in pairs and groups

                to know the real cost of the things we wear

 

Materials: Gateway A1+

 

                                                                   Procedure

1. Introduction

Hello, boys and girls! Today we’ll speak about the true cost of clothes.     

1.1. Warmer

Talk about the statistics with your partner. Is there anything you find surprising?

 

To make one cotton T-shirt, it takes ...

■ 2,700 litres of water

■ 8.5 g of pesticides

■ 400 megajoules of energy

■ thousands of miles

 

1.2. Vocabulary work

   These words are all related to our topic. You’ll work in pairs and try to guess the meaning of these words.

brand [n]: a particular company

charity shop [n]: a shop belonging to a charity that sells things that people have given to it

community [n]: the people who live in an area

cost [n]: the amount of money that is needed to buy something

cotton [n]: a cloth made from the white fibres of a plant

economy [n]: the system by which a country’s trade, industry and money are organised

energy [n]: the supply of power to produce something

environment [n]: the natural world, including land, ater, air, plants, and animals

fashion [n]: the activity that involves styles of clothes

fibre [n]: a long thin piece of a natural substance, like a thread

garment [n]: an item of clothing

guaranteed [adj]: something you will definitely get

impact [n]: an effect, or an influence

invest [v]: to use your money with the aim of making a profit

look after [v]: to take care of something or someone

material [n]: cloth

natural [adj]: not caused or created by people

pesticide [n]: a chemical used for killing insects

production [n]: the process of making something

recycle [v]: to use something again

second-hand [adj]: owned or used by someone else before you

swap [v]: exchange

 

 

2 The main part

2.1. Reading

Read the text about cotton and cheap clothes. Which two clothing brands employ local people?

 

      Every year, people all over the world buy a total of two billion T-shirts. In many countries, cotton clothes are cheap, but what is the true cost of these T-shirts? Is your T-shirt green?

Cotton is a natural fibre, but it has a terrible impact on the environment. Cotton production uses a lot of water and energy, as well as 25% of the world’s pesticides. Even if your new T-shirt is cheap, the environmental cost can be high.

 

What is fast fashion?

Fast fashion is the term to describe how many of us buy cheap clothes that we wear for a short time, then throw away. Americans buy one billion garments from China every year, and a survey showed that most women in the UK wear a new item of clothing seven times.

 

What can I do?

• Don’t buy too many cheap clothes. Buy good quality or second-hand clothes and look after them.

• Recycle your clothes: swap with friends or take them to a charity shop.

• Choose the companies you buy from carefully. Some don’t pay their workers very much.

 

Here are some brands who are making clothes that won’t cost the earth:

Tom Cridland

British designer Tom Cridland sells a T-shirt that can last for 30 years - guaranteed! The T-shirt is made in Portugal using traditional methods and top quality 100% organic cotton. It costs £35.

 

Edun

Edun wants to change African people’s lives. Currently, the company makes 95% of its clothes in Africa. It employs local people and uses traditional designs and materials. It also invests in the local economy and helps communities in many African countries, including Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.

 

Pachacuti

Pachacuti makes straw hats in Ecuador, using traditional materials from the Andes region. The workers are local women who make the hats from beginning to end and so get more of the profit. Pachacuti also works with the local community and provides medical aid, eye tests and glasses.

 

2.2. Read the article again and circle the correct alternative.

1 Cotton production uses a lot of pesticides/costs a lot of money.

2 Too many people are buying cheap clothes/are buying clothes quickly.

3 We need to pay the workers who make our clothes/ keep our clothes for many years.

4 Tom Cridland’s T-shirt will last for 30 years because it’s organic cotton/it’s good quality.

5 Edun’s clothes use traditional/cheap materials.

6 Pachacuti helps people who buy Panama hats/live in the Andes.

 

2.3. Match the sentence halves.

1 Fast fashion is when people …

2 People in America …

3 We can recycle clothes …

4 Tom Cridland’s T-shirt …

5 Edun helps people in Africa …

6 Pachacuti’s workers …

 

a buy a lot of cheap clothes from China.

b live in Ecuador.

c by using them as workers and helping local communities.

d buy a lot of cheap clothes that they only wear a few times.

e by swapping them with friends or giving them to charity shops.

f is not fast fashion.

 

2.4. Speaking. Work with a partner and answer the questions.

1 Where do you get your clothes from?

2 Are there any clothes designers or clothes shops in your country like the ones in the article?

3 After reading the article, do you feel differently about buying cheap clothes?

 

3. Summing – up

3.1. Home assignment

    Make a presentation on the topic: “Where do the Ukrainians get their clothes from? What kind of clothes do they buy?”

3.2 Reflection and evaluation

 Today you’ve learned about the real cost of our clothes. Thank you for your work. You have worked hard. Good-bye! 

 

 

The key:

1.1 so much water is used to make one T-shirt, and that the T-shirt travels many thousands of miles.

 

2.1   Edun, Pachacuti

2.2  1 uses a lot of pesticides     2 are buying cheap clothes     3 keep our clothes for many years

4 it’s good quality       5 traditional       6 live in the Andes

 

2.3  1 d 2 a 3 e 4 f 5 c 6 b