Olha Marchuk,

 teacher of English,

 school 4,

 Zmerynka, Vinnytsia region

Level - B1 intermediate

Topic: The Land Down Under

(Lesson-virtual tour)

Objectives:

• to summarise pupils’ knowledge about Australia;
• to give additional information about the Commonwealth of Australia;
• to develop students’ communicative skills in group discussion and in communicative activities;
• to develop pupils’ interest to English-speaking countries;
• to teach students to respect other people, their way of living.

Learning Outcomes:

children will be able to:

• present their projects about Australia;
• role play the situation “At the Tour Agency” (10-12 sentences);
• find some new information about Australians’ eating habits;
• prove the thought that “Australia is the best place for…” using the press method;
• do “What-do-you-know about Australia” quiz.

Equipment: the map of Australia, pictures of the sights, text for reading “Eating Habits

          in Australia”, a computer, video-advertisement welcoming tourists to Australia,

           handouts with the tasks, computer, multimedia presentation of the lesson, project

           works, the map of wishes and impressions.

Procedure

І. Introduction

1. Greeting.

T: Good morning, children! I’m glad to see you. Sit down, please. How are you getting on?

   How is life?

Ps: Life is great/ fine/ wonderful…

2. Objectives.

T: I see you are in a good mood and ready to work. Today we’ll have an unusual lesson.

And what do you think we are going to do at the lesson?

P1: I think we will travel.

T: Yes, but we’ll have a kind of a virtual travelling.

P2: I’m sure we are going to play some games.

T: Yes, with the help of the game “Noughts & Crosses” we will practice making up special and general questions.

P3: For sure we will present our projects.

T: Of course. For today you have prepared projects and you will present them.

P4: For no doubts we will watch video.

T: Yes, it’s true. Actually today you will revise your knowledge of Country Studies.

(Slide 2 Main Activities)

II. Warming-up

1. Game “Noughts & Crosses”.

T: As I’ve mentioned before we are going to travel at our today’s lesson, but where to you will find out with the help of the questions.

   Let’s split join into two teams. Team A plays with O (noughts) and team B with X (crosses). You have to choose a square and make up a question using the word. If your sentence is correct you’ll get your sign. If it’s wrong your opponent has only one guess to correct it. If this is right the team wins the square and continues the game. The first team to get a straight line of three X or O in any direction wins the game.

(Slide 3)

2. Brainstorming.

T: So, what country are we going to travel to?

Ps: Australia.

T: This country is also often called the Land Down Under. Perhaps, you know some other names of this country.

P1: Terra Australis.

P2: Southern land.

P3: Oz.

P4: The Land of golden fleece.

P5: The “Upside Down Country”.

III. Main Part

1. Vocabulary Review.

а) Watching Video.

T: Now you will watch and listen to an advertisement welcoming tourists to Australia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUF7ja9ehIs

Your task is to pay attention to the words which are used to characterize this country.

P1: Hard to describe. The best place in the world.

P2: Sounds-touching.

P3: Upside-down country.

P4: A place that stays with you forever.

P5: Nothing like this country.   

b) Vocabulary Practice.

T: While visiting The Land Down Under you will hear some words which are not so often used in our everyday life. Let’s guess these words by their description.

• imaginary line around the circumference of the earth which is the same distance from North and South Poles              /the equator/;
• part of the earth south of the equator         /the Southern Hemisphere/;
• a large mass of land surrounded by oceans and seas         /a continent/;
• a piece of land entirely surrounded by water, smaller than a continent – an island;
• a very dry, usually sandy place        /a desert/;
• a member of a race which was living in a country before it was colonized / original inhabitant           / Aboriginal/;
• an animal that carries its young in a pouch         /marsupial/;
• the world’s second largest bird, which can’t fly and which is represented on Australia’s coat of arms        /emu/;
• it’s an abbreviation of Old Australian, that is a descendant from the British and Irish settlers born in Australia       /Aussie/.

(Slides 8-15)

2. Presenting Projects. Speaking.

T: The agents of the tour company “Feerie Mandriv” will present their projects and some information about the country you are visiting.

     Main Topics:

• the geographical position of the country;
• its political system and national symbols;
• the climate;
• flora and fauna of the country;
• main cities;
• top tourist places in Australia.

3.  Writing.

T: Meanwhile the rest of the pupils will be journalists who try to find out as much as possible information about Australia for their future articles and essays. So, while listening and watching presentations you have to fill a special chart in with the necessary information.

                                                                                                                      (Slide 17)

Agent 1. Hello everybody! My name is … . The motto of our company is “Without travelling the life would be boring and monotonous. The world is so beautiful”. (Slide 19) And we want to give you such opportunity to travel and visit the best place in the world – the Land Down Under – Australia.

   Australia is located in the Southern Hemisphere, 1,200km south the equator. (Slide 20) The Commonwealth of Australia occupies the whole continent and a number of smaller islands, where Tasmania is the largest. (Slide 21) Actually it is the only country that occupies a complete continent. It should be stressed here that Australia is the sixth largest country in the world after Russia, Canada, China, the USA and Brazil. Its territory is 7,682,300sq.km. (Slide 22) By the way, Australians like to mention the fact that the territory of their country is 33 times larger than that of Great Britain. It is interesting to know that Australia is the biggest island and the smallest continent on the Earth.

   The Australian continent is washed in the north by the Timor and Arafura Seas; in the east by the Tasman and Coral Seas (the latter is a part of the South Pacific); in the south and west by the Indian Ocean. (Slide 23)

   The continent of Australia is mostly a plain with mountains along the east and some along the west coast. Its most significant mountain chain is the Great Dividing Range running down most of the east coast. Its eastern projection is known as the Australian Alps. Australia’s highest point, Mount Kosciusko in the Australian Alps, is only 2,230m high. (Slide 24-25)

   Approximately a third of Australia is hot desert. If you want you can visit the Great Sandy Desert in the north-west of Australia, the Gibson Desert in central Australia and the Great Victoria Desert in southern Australia. (Slide 26) There are some lakes and rivers in the country, but most of them are dry much of the year. Some rivers flow for a short distance, then sink into the ground. Lake Eyre is the largest. (Slide 27)

The Murray and the Darling are the main rivers of the country. (Slide 28-29)

   Thank you for your attention. Welcome to Australia. (Slide 30)

Agent 2. Hi, my name is …….. . I’d like to present you the political system of Australia. The Commonwealth of Australia is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. The head of the state is the Queen of England, represented by the Governor General. (Slide 32)

   The Commonwealth Parliament consists of the Queen, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. The party with majority support in the House of Representatives forms the Government, with its leader becoming Prime Minister. (Slide 33)

   The Commonwealth Parliament seats in Parliament House in the capital city of Canberra.

   Australia consists of six states and two territories: (Slide 34)

New South Wales, the capital city is Sydney;

Victoria – Melbourne;

Queensland – Brisbane;

South Australia – Adelaide;

Tasmania – Hobart;

Victoria – Melbourne;

Western Australia – Perth.

Australian Capital Territory – Canberra;

Northern Territory – Darwin. (Slides 35-44)

   I want to stress that each state has its own government.

   The Australian national flag has three prominent symbols. The small Union Jack in the upper left corner represents the historical link with Britain, the large seven-pointed star below the Union Jack is the Commonwealth or Federation star which represents the six states and the Territories, the five white stars from the Southern Cross, the symbol of the Southern Hemisphere night sky. (Slides 46)

   “Advance Australia Fair” is the national anthem of Australia. It was officially declared the national anthem on the 19^th of April 1984.   Australia’s Coat of Arms was granted by King George V in 1912. It consists of a shield containing the badges of the six states. The supporters are native Australian fauna: the red kangaroo and the emu. In the design there is also a yellow-flowered plant, wattle. (Slide 47)

  The country’s currency is the Australian dollar /$A/. (Slides 49)

  Come and know more about this beautiful country.

Agent 3. My name is …… . I’d like to tell you about the climate of the country.

   Australia’s climate is relatively warm and dry, with no extreme cold and little frost. It ranges from tropical to temperate. (Slides 52) Part of the continent lies within the Torrid Zone and has a hot or tropical climate. Along the northern coast, and particularly in north-eastern Queensland, is tropical jungle and rainforest, the average rainfall is very high.(Slide53) In summer the air is very humid here. In the centre the climate is very dry, droughts are common and the land is mainly desert. (Slide 54) I want to stress that there is comparatively little seasonal temperature change in Australia. /22 degrees above zero in the north; 17 degrees above zero in the south in summer; 25 degrees above zero in the north and 8 degrees above zero in the south in winter/.

    Winds are light to moderate, except along the cost where cyclones quite often occur, that leads to floods. (Slide 55)

    As Australia is situated in the Southern Hemisphere they have winter when we have summer and vice versa.

    In the south it is pleasant with cool winters and warm summers, that is good for surfing. (Slide 56)  In Tasmania and around Kosciusko there are snowfields in winter, much visited by ski enthusiasts. Come and enjoy skiing here. (Slide 57)

Agent 4. Hello! I’m …… . We’re thrilled to be able to take you on a tour of Oz – that’s how Aussies call their country. I will tell you about flora and fauna of it. (Slides 59) Australia has many species of animals that are unique. This is due to its long geographical isolation. These animals include kangaroo, wallabies, koalas, dingoes, possums, platypuses, emus, parrots and cockatoos. (Slides 60-68)

   The most typical Australian animal is, of course, the kangaroo. (Slide 69) There are more than 40 different varieties of “Roos”, as they are called here.  When it is born, a baby kangaroo may be only 2cm long. It has no fur at this stage in life and looks rather like a worm. When an early settler asked an Aboriginal the name for the strange animal which hopped, he answered “Kan-gar-oo”, which means in his language “I don’t know”.

   As for koalas, they are sometimes called native bears, but they are not bears at all. They are members of the marsupial family. (Slides 70-71)

   The strangest of all Australian mammals is the platypus. (Slide 72) It and echidna may be the last living links between reptiles and mammals. They are the only egg-lying mammals in the world.  

  The most part of the vegetation in Australia consists of bushes that can grow with very little water. The best known native trees are eucalyptus, acacia and bottle tree. (Slides 73)

   The country has 300 national parks. The most interesting among them is Lichfield National Park where you can observe a lot of plants and animals. (Slides 74-78)

   Australia is a highly developed industrial country. It is sometimes called “the lucky country”. The reason is the wonderful riches under the earth: coal, iron, bauxites, oil, uranium, copper, zinc, natural gas, nickel, diamonds, gold and many other metals.

                                                                                                                          (Slides 80)

Agent 5. Hello! I’m a tour agent …….. . I’d like to present you Australia’s main cities. By the way, more than two thirds of the population live in Australia’s cities and towns. Most important among them are: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Darwin, Alice Springs, Newcastle, Townsville and all the capitals of the six states. (Slides 83-86) The two largest of these capital cities, Sydney and Melbourne, contain one third of all the people on the Australian continent.

   Sydney is Australia’s window into the world – a bright cosmopolitan city with a quick pace of life. Melbourne is Sydney’s opposite; its green trams and wide, tree-lined avenues are symbols of an old-fashioned way of life. (Slide 87)

   Melbourne is the nation’s cultural, financial and intellectual capital. (Slide 88) You know that Melbourne’s rivalry with Sydney was the reason for the creation of the federal capital, Canberra, built on farmland between the two cities. The name Canberra comes from the aboriginal word Kamberra, meaning a meeting place. (Slide 89)

   The government of Australia moved from Melbourne, the old capital, to Canberra in 1927.

   Canberra is not one of the largest cities. Its population is about 300,000, but it is one of the most important. The city is a political and administrative capital of Australia. It is also the centre of the nation’s history, learning and research. Welcome to the capital of the country.

Agent 6. Let me introduce myself. My name is ….. . And if you asked me what places to visit first in Australia I would recommend you to see these top popular places:

1. Sydney, one of the world’s most attractive cities. The famous Sydney Opera House looks like waves when they break on the beach. Speople call the city “the Paris of the Pacific”. But Paris hasn’t got such sea, sand, sun, surf and Bondy Beach to relax and have rest. (Slide 92)
2. The Great Barrier Reef, which extends for 2,000km. There are numerous beautiful tropical islands scattered along the reef. It is usually called a garden under the sea. A coral reef protects the coast from the force of the ocean waves. (Slides 93-94)
3. Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. Brisbane has a mild sub-tropical climate with a warm summer and a mild winter. It is a “Holiday City”. (Slide 95)
4. Melbourne, a city close to the mountains and sea. It is the city of beautiful parks and gardens. Melbourne people say their city is more English than any other in Australia. (Slide 96)
5. The Great Ocean Road. It is a very beautiful place. (Slide 97)
6. The Red Centre. Ayers Rock is the most famouse of strange rock standing up out of the flat desert floor. It is situated in the middle of red, waterless desert. The Aboriginals consider it a sacred site and call it Uluru. (Slides 98-100)
7. Of course, Canberra, the capital of the country. It is a beautiful city with lovely parks and wide streets. (Slide 101)
8. Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia and the “Athens of the South”. (Slide 102-103)
9. Tasmania, with its wonderful flora and fauna. (Slide 104)

4. Role-Play “At the Tour Agency”. (Slides 106-109)

T: Now you have an opportunity to ask the questions the answers to which you try to find out.

Journalist 1: Is Australia densely populated country?

Agent 1: The population of the country is about 20mln people. Most of the population (85%) live in the cities of the east coast.

Journalist 2: Could you tell us how many native people live in the country?

Agent 2: The aboriginal people represent 1% of the nation’s population but they occupy an

               important place in its culture.

Journalist 3: Is there a written constitutin in Australia?

Agent 3: Yes, the nation is administrated under a written constitution, which was adopted in

              1901.

Journalist 3: Can you explain why some Australian children don’t go to school and learn

               from the School of the air?

Agent 4: The more remote and sparsely populated regions of Australia are called the  

               Outback. There are some ranches scattered through it. That’s why children who

               live there don’t go to school and listen to and talk to their teachers on the station

               radio.

Journalist 4: Why is Australia sometimes called the land of golden fleece?

Agent 4: It’s well-known that Australia is famous for its sheep. That’s why sometimes the

                country is referred to as the land of golden fleece.

Journalist 5:  What is the main public holiday of the country?

Agent 5: The National Day of Australia. It is celebrated on the 26^th of January. It marks the

                date in 1788 when Captain Arthur Philip, of the British Royal Navy, commanded a     

                fleet of 11 ships and sailed into port Jackson /Sydney Cove/. Another very popular

                holiday is, of course, Christmas which, by the way, they celebrate in summer on

                the  beach with a barbecue.

5. Group Work. Matching. (Slides 111)

T: You have learnt a lot about this country. I think you are real experts on the Land Down Under. Now you will work in groups. Your group wants to send some postcards with the views of famous Australian sights to your magazines or newspaper. Unfortunately, you have forgotten to sign them. But this is very important for the readers of your periodicals. That’s why work in groups and match the picture with its name and give short information about them.

/ Ayers Rock, Parliament House, The Sydney Harbour Bridge, The Sydney Opera House, the Great Berrier Reef, Queensland Bottle tree (20m), the National Museum, Telstra Tower/.

6. Relaxation.  (Slides 112) Watching Video “Take a Trip to Queensland Australia”.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrxHp5CaLUc

T: Imagine that now you are just travelling around this amazing country and enjoy its wonders. /Watching video and listening to the song “It’s Time to Relax”/

6. Pre-Reading Activity.

1) T: As you know there are different variants of the English language: British English, American English, Canadian English and Australian English. Australian English isn’t really very difficult. Australians always choose a short word if they can. So, a lot of words are made by shortening of English words. This gives Australian English its special style – informal, friendly and often funny. Do you know some shortenings in Australian English?

P1: Postie for postman;

P2: Footie for football;

P3: Barbie for barbecue;

P4: G’day for hello.

2) T: Do you know the meaning of the word “pav”?

     Did you dine in the BYO restaurant? Do you know what it stands for?

    Let’s learn some more about shortening in Australian English and get additional information about Australians’ eating habits.

8. While-Reading Activity. Filling in the Grid.

T: Scan the text and find information you didn’t know.

(Slides 113-114)

Eating Habits in Australia

  The food in Australia is a result of a great diversity of culture. Australian’s eat in the continental style: the fork is in the left and the knife is in the right hand. In a private home, guests don’t serve themselves but receive a plate already served. Water is not served unless asked for. Beef is the most popular meet. Australians prefer plain, not spicy meal. Crocodile bread is bread with bacon, green peppers and cheese and looks like crocodile when it is made. Sausage Rolls soup is rather popular. Tea is a favourite hot drink in Australia. Coffee comes second. A favourite dessert was created by Western Australian chef Bert Sachse in honour of ballerina Anna Pavlova who visited Australia in 1926. The pavlova shell or “pav”, rich with whipped cream and ice-cream, is a wonderful dessert which should appeal to anyone with a sweet tooth. Placing utensils on the plate together indicates one is finished. The bill is paid at the register after the meal. Tipping is not necessary. One distinctive of restaurant in Australia is the BYO – Bring Your Own. The BYO restaurant allows you to bring your own bottle of wine, and the waiter will open it and serve it to you. The BYO restaurants are smaller and less expensive. Tables are neat and clean. BYO places are most popular in Melbourne and Sydney. Chinese restaurants are common through  Australia.

9. Post-Reading Activity.

a) Are the following statements true or false? (Slide 115)

1. There are a lot of Chinese restaurants in Australia. (T)
2. Australians eat in eastern style.(F)
3. Lamb is the most popular meet.(F)
4. “pav” is a favourite Australian’s drink. (F)
5. Coffee is a favourite drink of most Australians.(F)
6. Australians don’t prefer spicy meal. (T)
7. Crocodile bread is a bread for crocodiles.(F)
8. The BYO restaurants are smaller and less expensive. (T)

b) Correct the false ones. (Slide 116-117)

c) Answer the questions:

 - What kind of dessert is “pav”?

 - Do you know what BYO stands for?

 - Is tipping necessary in Australian restaurants?

10.  Map of Wishes and Impressions. (Slide 118)

T: We are finishing our journey to The Land Down Under. Coming back home you will share your impressions of it with your relatives, friends, readers. Now work in groups and using the press method prove the thought that “Australia is the best place for…”. Write your sentences on the pictures which you should glue on the Map of Australia.

T: Look at the poster and remember the four stages of the press method.

Stages of the press method. (Slide 119)

1. Present your point of view. (In my opinion…)
2. Give the argument to prove your point of view. (…because…)
3. Show the examples to confirm your arguments. (For example…)
4. Summarize your point of view and make a conclusion. (That’s why…)

Suggested answers

Group 1.

In our opinion Australia is the best place for zoological explorations because Australia’s fauna is really unique. For example, about 83% of mammals, 89% of reptiles, 90% of fish and insects and 93% of amphibians that live on the continent can be found only in Australia.

That’s why if you are interested in zoology come and investigate the fauna of the country.

Group 2.

In our opinion Australia is the best place for tourists because it has a variety of tourist attractions. For example, the Great Barrier Reef, Ayers Rock, sandy beaches and variety of wildlife. That’s why you can relax and get unforgettable impressions here.

Group 3.

In our opinion Australia is the best place for going in for sports because it has plenty to offer to sports fans all year round. For example, Australians play at least four types of football!!! International cricket matches are played every summer in Australia. Tennis matches are also held here. Besides, there are lots of places to go surfing in Australia. That’s why people are very sporty and healthy here.

Group 4.

In our opinion Australia is the best place for living because it has a strong economy and a high standard of living. For example, the country is the world’s leading exporter of wool and beef. It exports many minerals. Many families own two cars, even airplanes. That’s why Australia is often called a “lucky country”.

11. “What-do-you-know” quiz.

1) Who discovered Australia? (Slide 121-122)

a) Miklouho-Maclay   b) James Cook  c) Arthur Philip

2) What Australian State is the driest?

a) New South Wales   b) South Australia  c) Western Australia

3) Is Mt. Kosciusko higher then Goverla  /2061/

a) Yes       b) No     c) the same

4) What is garden under the sea?

a) the Timor Sea   b) the Great Australian Bight   c) the Great Barrier Reef

5) What is “The Paris of Pacific”? 

a) Canberra  b) Sydney   c) Adelaide

6) What is “Athens of the South”?

a) Melbourne b) Sydney  c) Adelaide

7) What is the most popular kind of sport in Australia?

a) basketball  b) curling   c) surfing

18) Which domestic animal could symbolize Australia?

a) sheep   b) horse   c) cat

IV. Summing-up. Home Assignment

T: When people travel to other countries, they find that many things are different from the ones they have in their country – the weather, food, lifestyle, customs and traditions and so on. The world would have been a very sad place if everything was the same. Travel a lot and you will be able to learn and understand the world around you.

   Your home task is to write an article for your newspaper describing your last visit to the Land Down Under. Tell what sights impressed you most of all in Australia and why.

(Slide 123).

Reference:

1. English through communication, 9 form, Kyiv, Osvita, 2002.
2. L. Panchenko. Your Guide in English. 5 -11 Forms: Kiev, 2002
3. V.L.Polupan, A.P.Polupan, V.V.Makhova. English-speaking countries: A cultural reader. – Х.: «Країна мрій», 2002.
4. Internet resources.