3rd educational stage (III.0), English
Grade: 3
Content area:
Using the project method in foreign language teachingDetailed requirements:
Student (10 and 1.8) is involved in teamwork, e.g. in projects in and outside the classroom, and uses a very basic pool of languagemeasures (vocabulary, grammar, writing and speaking), enabling the achievement of other general requirements concerning the following topic: travelling and tourism (
Topic
: Tourist attractionsDuration
: Approx. 6-8 hours in the classroom plus 4-6 hours outside the classroomDeadline:
4–6 weeksDetailed goals regarding the range of information
Student:
Knows the names of typical historical buildings;
Knows the names of typical tourist attractions;
Knows the basic vocabulary related to travelling and tourism.
Detailed goals regarding the range of skills
Student:
Can briefly describe tourist attractions;
Develops communication skills;
Can take notes from audio-visual materials;
Can listen out for specific information.
Detailed goals regarding attitudes
Student:
Learns about the uniqueness of their own country/region/town;
Becomes aware of cultural differences between people;
Learns to cooperate with other students in team work;
Develops autonomy in working with the project method;
Learns to divide work into stages.
Methods
Project work; presentation; elicitation; categorisation; quiz; listening for specific information; note taking; whole class, group work, pairwork, individual work.
Forms and venue
Forms: whole class, group work, pairwork, individual work.
Classes are to be held in the classroom, but the project is to be prepared outside the classroom.
Materials and teaching aids
Multimedia presentation; film; audio recording; quiz; tourist brochure; computer and multimedia projector; board.
Multimedia resources
Multimedia presentation: Top London attractions
Film: Tourist attractions of the region
Audio recording: Exchange trip
Crossword
Brochure: Coca-Cola London Eye
Project task
In the project, students are supposed to develop a presentation about the tourist attractions of Poland or their region or town. Each group prepares a material about a different attraction. At the end, the input from all groups is combined.
Each presentation should include:
brief description of the attraction;
information about the opening hours and prices;
travel directions.
The key problem for students to solve is to determine the potentially most interesting sites for people from other countries.
Project deliverables
The project deliverables should be in the form of a chart, poster or computer slide show. Teams may be given a free hand in choosing the form of the project, or this may be predetermined by the teacher.
Project stages
The project can be divided into three stages:
● Stage 1 – Selection of the task for the whole class (Poland, region or town);
● Stage 2 – Selection of the tourist attractions;
● Stage 3 – Development of the material presenting the attraction.
draft versions of the materials during the stage 3.
Project teams
The teams may vary from 2 to 4 students.
Assessment criteria
● Graphical/Artistic features – 20%
● Content – 40%
● Language – 40%
▪ Range, variety of vocabulary and structures – 20%
▪ Correctness – 20%
In-class work
The multimedia resources for the project can be used in a number of ways. Below are some practical tips and suggestions how to introduce the materials in the classroom to help students develop their project deliverables.
The film and presentation are more general and introduce the basic vocabulary. The recording makes the task more personal for the students, as they consider potential school exchange. The brochure provides a direct pattern for the deliverables to be developed by the students.
The quiz can be used at various points to consolidate the vocabulary.
Whenever pair- or group-work is used as a form of interaction, students should work with their team-mates, if possible.
1 Multimedia presentation 1.1. Elicitation
The teacher asks the students which big cities they have visited and/or which ones they would like to visit. What are the biggest attractions there?
Students share ideas in open class. If London is not mentioned, the teacher can ask the students what they know about this metropolis.
Then the presentation is played once through. While watching the presentation for the second time, the students need to note down the places mentioned.
1.2. Talking about preferences
The students are asked to order the landmarks mentioned in the presentation about London in the order from the most to the least attractive. They should imagine that they have to visit only three – which ones will they be?
The students talk about their preferences in small groups, justify their choices and try to come to an agreement.
When the students are ready, the teacher elicits the top attractions from each group and puts them on the list. In this way, the class ‘wish list’ will be compiled.
2 Film
2.1. Note taking
The teacher tells students that they will see a film about a region and its attractions.
Their task is to note down the landmarks/attractions mentioned.
The film is played twice, then the students can compare their notes in pairs.
If they find the task difficult, the film can be played a third time.
The teacher elicits students’ ideas in open class.
2.2. Personalisation
Using the film as an example, the students should now think of attractions in their region/city/area. What would appeal to tourists? Would the same things be
interesting for people from other parts of Poland and foreign tourists?
For this activity, the students work in small groups.
3 Audio recording:
3.1. Listening for general comprehension/specific information / Note taking While listening for the first time, the students are asked to focus on the general understanding of the recording: what is the situation? Where did the boy travel to?
Did he enjoy the trip?
At the second listening, the students should be able to note down what the boy did on every day of his school trip. They take notes individually, then in pairs recreate the whole weekly plan, from Monday to Sunday.
3.2. Planning an itinerary
The students are told to imagine that there will be some exchange students coming to their school. Their task is to prepare a detailed itinerary: what they will be doing, where they will go, what and where they will eat, etc.
The students work in pairs.
4 Interactive quiz
4.1. Vocabulary revision and practice
The quiz can be administered towards the end of the lesson, to give the students a chance to practise vocabulary in an engaging way. It can also be set for homework.
Alternatively, it can be used as a warm-up task at the beginning of the next lesson to revise the previously learned vocabulary.
5 Brochure
5.1. Brochure designing
The teacher distributes brochures to the students. He/She elicits from the students what kind of information they can find in the brochure.
own brochure. First, they need to decide what the brochure will be about. Then they should choose the information they want to or should include in their brochure.
This activity will work well both as pair and small group work.
5.1. Writing
The brochure can also be used as a model for brief descriptions of places of interest in the students’ area. They can work individually or in pairs to produce very brief texts (two-three sentences) about some places of their choice.
