«Different Landscapes - Different Countries»
план-конспект урока по английскому языку (10 класс) на тему

«Different Landscapes - Different Countries».

Objectives:

to practice using articles with geographical names; to practice using words related to landscapes;

• to practice reading/listening for the main idea;
• to practice reading for detail;

to practice reading for specific information; to describe landscapes.

Warm-up activities

T: Different countries have different landscapes. Today at the lesson we are going to read and speak about varieties of the world where we live.

Draw the following diagram on the board then invite students to come up with as many words as possible related to landscapes.

Before students open their books, show some pictures of different landscapes and ask the question:

T: Which of the landscapes can you see in the pictures?

Students describe the landscapes in the pictures.

Vocabulary work

T: Open your books, page 4. Read the words in the box and guess what the words in bold mean.

If necessary, help students using the pictures. Students can look the words up in a dictionary. Draw students' attention to the meanings of the words wood, huge and vast. After that, students read the words together after you and then individually.

You may give students some more words to the list of adjectives, for example, endless, spectacular, peaceful, attractive, picturesque, etc.

Pair work (ex. 1, p. 4)

You should find out if any of the students have been to Great Britain, the USA or Australia or have relatives or friends living there. Then encourage them to say what they know about the countries.

T: Look at the pictures on pages 3 and 7. The photos are taken in different English-speaking countries. Say which of the landscapes you can see on these photos. Possible answer:

• The pictures on page 3 show woods (forests) and mountains. On page 7 we can see a desert, a coast, a plain, a mountain range and hills.

T: Now work in pairs and discuss which of the words from the box might be used to describe these landscapes.

Students choose the words and make up word combinations to describe the landscapes. Possible answer: a huge mountain range a flat plain a useless desert a deep canyon an endless prairie a vast ocean, etc.

T: Try to guess what countries such landscapes are typical of. If you have time, you may open up the discussion to the whole class.

Follow-up activities

T: What kind of landscape do you prefer? Where would you like to spend a weekend? Explain your choice, please.

Display several pictures with different landscapes on the board. Students choose one of the places and explain why they prefer that place. Possible answer:

• I like the picture with a mountain range. It is a very picturesque place. The top covered with snow looks spectacular. I'd like to spend a weekend in the mountainous area because I am fond of climbing. You can also breathe clean air and enjoy the wonderful view there.

Reading/listening for the main idea (ex. 2 (1), p. 4—5)

T: The photos are taken in the countries that are described in ex. 2. Read texts А, В and С and say what countries are described.

Yon should encourage students to read the texts quickly, scanning them for the answer to the question. Students should not worry about unknown vocabulary at this stage. Answers:

1. Australia.
2. The UK
3. The USA

Ask students to explain their opinion using the phrases given below the text.

Possible answer: I think text A is about Australia because it is the largest island and the smallest continent at the same time. Besides you can find the Great deserts only in Australia. I know that Great Britain consists of two large islands and several smaller ones. You can find steady rainfall throughout most of the year only in England. So, text В is about the UK. I think text С is about the USA because there are heavy forests and extensive deserts, high mountains and deep canyons there. Besides you can find the four time zones only in the USA. Mending for detail (ex. 2, p. 6)

T: Look through the texts again, find and read out the word combinations with the words from the box.

After that, students do ex. 2 (2) individually, reading the texts again more carefully.

What climate and landscapes are typical of which country? (check students' answers by having some of them read out their answers.

Grammar exercise (ex. 2 (3), p. 6)

Geographical names make the description of a country more Open your books, page 6. Read the geographical names in the box.

II necessary, students read the names all together after you in order to practice their pronunciation.

Students do the exercise working individually, and then compare answers in pairs before checking them as a class. Refer students to the Grammar for Revision on p. 6 and Grammar Support at the end o! the textbook.

('heck students' answers by having them read the sentences with geographical names aloud.

Answers:

1. Australia is the world's largest island and its smallest continent. The continent is in the south of the Equator. Much of the land is a useless desert. The Great Sandy Desert, the Great Victoria Desert and the Simpson Desert cover nearly 2,000,000 square kilometers. Most of the continent is sunny the whole year...
2. The UK is an island state. It covers a territory of two large islands - Great Britain and Ireland - and several smaller ones. Its coast is over 6,000 miles long. Great Britain may be a small island by Russian standards, but geographically it is varied... In England you are never very far from the coast and there are lots of seaside resorts. It has a mild climate. It is never very cold or very hot. There's steady rainfall throughout most of the year. The main passenger ports Dover, Rams gate, Folkston, Heathrow and Gatwick Airports are in the Southeast. It's a rich country, one of the richest countries in the world.
3. The USA is the fourth largest nation in the world. It covers 4,500 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. Three quarters of the country are washed by oceans. People live within four zones. It's a land of physical contrasts. Practically every climate in the world is represented. The southern parts of the country have warm temperatures all the year round, but the northern parts have very cold winters. The land varies from heavy forests to extensive deserts, from high mountains to deep canyons. If you travel across the country you would go over the Appalachian Mountains, the Rockies and the Cordilleras, cross hundreds of rivers, spend days on the vast, flat prairie lands.

Listening (AB Unit 1, ex. 1)

You can see the maps of Australia, the UK, the USA in your Activity Books, pages 3-5.

Give students time to study the maps and prepare for listening.

T: You will listen to the description of the geographical position of these countries. Tick the names you hear in the descriptions on the maps. Pay attention, usually the geographical names are written without articles on the maps.

Students listen to the cassette and do the task working individually. Then they check their answers as a whole class.

T: Now write out the geographical names that are pronounced with articles.

Draw students' attention to the Grammar for Revision on p. 3. When students have completed the exercise, play the cassette for them again to check their answers.

Follow-up activities (AB Unit 1, ex. 2)

T:Let’s speak about our country. I'd like you to look at the picture is on pages 3 and 7 again. Could you find any of these landscapes somewhere in Russia? Which ones? In what parts of the country?

Students discuss the landscapes and share their ideas. Ask students what landscapes are typical for their region.

Students do ex. 2 working individually. Then they work in pairs and compare their answers. After that, they listen to the cassette and check  the answers.

Ask students how many and what mistakes they have.

Sam up

Hand out the following copies with the table.

Look at the table with students and draw their attention to the first column discussing where «the» is used. Students complete the table, ,adding the examples from the texts in the third column and their own examples in the final column.

Speaking

T:What special things about the geographical position of Russia haw you learned from the text? Students answer the question.

You may ask some detail questions on the text, for example:

• What seas wash Russia in the north (in the south)?
• How many hours does it take to fly from Moscow to Magadan?
• What are the longest Russian rivers?
• What are the three largest lakes?
• Is the relief of Russia flat or mountainous?
• What is the highest mountain top?
• What mountain range divides the European and Asian parts of Russia?

Reading for specific information (R Unit 1, ex. 1(1))

T: Russia is famous for its frosts. But such extreme natural event sometimes happens not only in our country. Let's read the article about this in your Reader Book.

Students look through the article and answer the questions on page 5.

Answers:

1. The title of the article is «Deep Freeze».
2. The article was published in the magazine «Newsweek».
3. It was published in the section «Europe».
4. The article is about the severest cold snap in some European countries.
5. Weather can affect the people's lives greatly. Students do ex. 1(2) at home.