Lesson script
3rd educational stage (III.0), English
Grade: 3
Content area:
Use of authentic materials with the help of information and communication technologies (ICT) in foreign language classesDetailed requirements:
Student (11) uses sources of information in a foreign language (e.g. encyclopaedias, the media, instruction manuals), also with the aid of ICT technologies.Topic
: Geographical recordsDuration
: 45 minutesDetailed goals regarding the range of information
Student:
Knows the names of the continents;
Knows the names of basic geographical features;
Knows the superlative of adjectives.
Detailed goals regarding the range of skills
Student:
Can use sources of information in a foreign language;
Can write down information from an audio-visual material;
Can find the relevant information in textual materials;
Develops listening skills;
Can talk about unique experiences/places.
Detailed goals regarding attitudes
Student:
Becomes familiar with authentic materials;
Develops curiosity about the natural world;
Becomes aware of a great geographic diversity;
Learns to cooperate with others for task completion.
Methods
Brainstorming; watching for specific information; reading for specific information;
completing notes; sharing personal experiences; whole class, small groups, pairs, individual.
Forms and venue
Forms: individual, pairwork, small groups, whole class.
Classes are to be held in the classroom.
Materials and teaching aids
Film; worksheet and reading texts for each student (Supporting Material 1 and 2, for stage 2.2); crossword; computer and multimedia projector; board
Multimedia resources
Film: Geographical world records
Crossword
Lesson plan/procedure
1 Warm up
Interaction forms: whole class Duration: 3 minutes
To introduce the topic of the lesson, the teacher elicits from the students some titbits about the world (e.g. the largest continent, the smallest country, etc.). If they are not sure, they can try to guess.
2 Main stage
2.1. Introduction to the topic – film
Interaction forms: individual/pairs, whole class Duration: 12 minutes
The teacher tells the students that they will watch a short film about some geographical records. They need to note down the information about: (i) the largest/smallest continent; (ii) the highest mountain; (iii) the longest river; (iv) the largest lake; (v) the largest island; (vi) the largest country by population; (vii) the largest/smallest country by area. The teacher may put these categories on the board.
Some words, like area or population, may require pre-teaching.
The film is played twice.
Note: If the students seem to be struggling with the task, (i) they can be allowed to compare their notes in pairs, and/or (ii) the film can be played a third time.
2.2. Target language extension and practice – searching for information Interaction forms: pairs, whole class
Duration: 14 minutes
The teacher distributes worksheets with gaps (Supporting Material 1) and text materials about different continents (Supporting Material 2) to all the students. The students should be told that the Supporting Material 2 is based on Internet resources (e.g. Wikipedia).
The students’ task is to fill in the table by finding the missing information in the texts.
Note: Some fields in the table are already provided, as this information has already appeared in the film.
At this stage of the lesson, the students work in pairs (for peer support and to develop communication skills).
The teacher monitors and helps, if necessary.
When the students are ready, the answers are checked in open class.
Answers:
Continent Africa Asia Europe North America
The highest mountain Kilimanjaro Mount Everest Mont Blanc Mount McKinley
The longest river The Nile Yangtze Volga Mississippi
The largest lake Lake Victoria The Caspian
Sea Lake Ladoga Lake Superior The largest island Madagascar New Guinea Great Britain Greenland The largest country by
population Nigeria China Germany Unites States
The largest country by
area Algeria Russia France Canada
2.3. Target language consolidation and practice – crossword Interaction forms: individual, whole class
Duration: 6 minutes
To further consolidate the information and vocabulary from the lesson, the students do the crossword. They should work individually at this stage. The teacher can allow comparing the answers in pairs before eliciting them in open class.
The words tested are: China, continent, Germany, island, Kilimanjaro, population Russia.
2.4. Consolidation and practice – personalisation Interaction forms: small groups
Duration: 8 minutes
In small groups, the students talk about the most interesting places on Earth they would like to visit and why. They can use the places from the table or come up with other ideas.
3 Closing stage
Interaction forms: whole class Duration: 2 minutes
For homework, the teacher asks the students to write a brief note about Australia or South America. They should model their texts on the texts they worked with in stage 2.2.
Geographical records
Supporting Material 1
Complete the table with the information from the text material.
Continent Africa Asia Europe North America
The highest
mountain ... Mount Everest ... ...
The longest river The Nile ...
... ... ...
The largest lake ... The Caspian
Sea ... ...
The largest island ... ...
... ... Greenland
The largest country by
population ... China ... ...
The largest
country by area ... Russia ... ...
Geographical records
Supporting Material 2
Europe is the world's second-smallest continent by area. But it’s the third-largest continent by population (after Asia and Africa). There are about 50 countries in Europe. Without Russia (as most of its territory is in Asia), Germany is the largest country by population and France by area, while Vatican is the smallest. Europe has a lot of islands, of which Great Britain is the largest. The Volga is the longest river in Europe. It flows through central Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The largest lake of the continent is Ladoga, which is also in Russia. Mont Blanc (which means "White Mountain" in French) is the highest mountain in the Alps and also in Europe.
Africa is the world's second continent by both area and population. It is also the youngest continent: 50% of Africans are 19 years old or younger. The continent includes Madagascar (its greatest island) and various archipelagos. Algeria is Africa's largest country by area, and Nigeria by population. With a surface area of 68,800 km2, Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake. Kilimanjaro (5,895 metres), a volcanic mountain in Tanzania, is the highest mountain in Africa.
Asia is the largest continent on Earth. About 60% of all people live there. The two countries with the largest population in Asia are China (1,355 million) and India (1,236 million). Russia is the largest country by area, but its population is much smaller (144 million). The Yangtze is the longest river in Asia and the third-longest in the world. It flows in China for 6,300 kilometres. Borneo is the third-largest island in the world and the largest island of Asia. It is divided among three countries: Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
North America is placed between two oceans: the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
There are only 23 countries in North America. The largest country by area is Canada; but it is only the third largest by population (after the United States and Mexico). Mount McKinley (6,194 m) is the highest mountain in North America. It is located in Alaska. The Mississippi, flowing entirely in the United States, is North America’s largest river. It is 3,730 km long. On the Canada–United States border, there are five Great Lakes. They form the largest group of lakes on Earth. The largest of them is Lake Superior.
Adapted from Wikipedia
