Элективный курс "Save Our Planet" (подборка материала)
элективный курс (9 класс) по теме

Подборка материалов к программе элективного курса

«SAVE  OUR  PLANET»

        Данная подборка дает возможность речевого общения по заданной тематике, способствует расширению кругозора учащихся и развитию навыков самостоятельной работы.

        Материала рассчитаны как на учащихся со слабой языковой подготовкой так и на сильных учащихся.

1. Для того, чтобы настроить класс на работу по экологической проблематике, можно задать несколько вопросов, например:

1. Do you enjoy being outdoors? Why?
2. Do you sometimes feel better when you are in the forest/ see a bird, a squirrel, a flower, a tree, a river, a lake? Why?
3. What kinds of noises/ sounds do you usually hear in your school yard/near your house/ playground: sounds made by cars, buses, trains or some natural sounds, like the twitter of birds, the murmur of a creek? Which of them make you feel better? Why?
4. Do you think plants and animals can feel good/ have needs?
5. When do you think they feel good?
6. What are their needs?

2. Далее можно включить объекты живой природы в предмет общения, например:

7. Look at the picture of a pine tree standing on the shore of Lake Baikal?
8. Is it alive? How do you know? Can it feel? Why do you think so?
9. Can it dream? What can it dream about? What are its main needs do you think?
10. Can it feel pain? What may be the cause of its pain? Who or what can hurt it?
11. Can it protect itself? How?
12. How would you feel if you were a tree in winter/ spring/ in the rain/ in a snowstorm?
13. What would you wish? What would your dreams be? Would you be able to realize them?

3. Для того, чтобы облегчить учащимся процесс говорения, вопросы можно чередовать с предъявлением незаконченных предложений, например:

14. I feel good/ comfortable/ happy/ happiest when… .
15. I feel embarrassed/ uncomfortable/ sad/ angry when… .
16. I worry about… .
17. I want to be…/ I would like to be…/ I wish I were…/ I want to be able to… .
18. My greatest dream is…/ if I could have one wish it would be… .

4. Учащимся можно предложить следующие задания:

1. You will need a map to find the answers to the following questions:

19. Which see is closest to where you live?
20. Which sees border Russia?
21. Which continents border the Indian (Pacific, Atlantic) Ocean?
22. Which ocean is farthest north?

2. Answer the following questions:

23. Why are the oceans and sees very important?
24. Why are they so polluted?
25. Do you throw trash when you visit a beach?
26. Why is it so important to keep seas and oceans clean?

3. Design a poster telling people to keep the beaches and seas clean?

5. Предложения-обращения к защите окружающей среды легко запоминаются школьниками, их количество можно варьировать в зависимости от подготовленности класса, например:

27. Insulate your homes.
28. Turn the light off when you leave your room.
29. Plant a tree at your home or school.
30. Do not write graffiti on public property… .

(Ребята могут продолжить этот список самостоятельно).

6. Для пополнения лексического запаса можно предложить следующее задание:

A. Try and Find Animals and Birds

A W F P H O R E L K S B T C M

S R O A N T E L O P E A I W S

O W L R P A R R O T Y B G F Q

U N O T O X W I P Z D E E R U

R E C R O C O D I L E A R S I

T A P I D E L M T I C R O W R

A G A D I M F O X O H A R E

Z L A G O A T D O N K E Y V E

D E L E P H A N T S T O R K L

В.  Назови животных, занесенных в «Красную книгу».

7. Для развития навыков диалогической речи можно, например, предложить учащимся список бытовых электроприборов и образцы диалогов с использованием этих слов. Школьники должны составить свои диалоги. Список бытовых электроприборов: refrigerator, iron, tape recorder, hair dryer, desk lamp, vacuum cleaner, washing machine.
8. Образцы диалогов:

A.

-    You’ve left lights on, dear!

31. Who cares?
32. I do!
33. It’s wasting energy! At school I’m taught it’s expensive.
34. Oh, I’m sorry! I’ll never do it again.
35. I hope so.

B.

-     Dad, you’ve left the iron on.

-     So what?

-     My teacher tells me to save energy.

-     Oh, my son, live and learn!

Вода – это жизнь. Данный текст содержит информацию  о различных источниках загрязнения воды и их влиянии на жизнь человека и природы. Этот текст можно использовать как целиком, так и частями, применяя различные виды и приемы работы. (Автор текста Скотт Гроссман. Текст дан в сокращении).

Water Pollution

1. Effects of Water Pollution.

Water pollution comes from many different sources and can affect many different things. The effects of water pollution are not only devastating to people, but they can kill animals, fish and birds. Furthermore, the effects of water pollution pose a serious threat to society today and in the future. So try to do your part and don’t pollute!

2. Effects of Untreated Human Waste.

Normally, human waste goes through various treatment plants to become uncontaminated, but during a heavy rain storm, human waste can backup and overflow into rivers or the water supplies. This waste can also cause disease and it can rob the water of oxygen, which kills the wildlife that lives in the water.

3. Effects of Run-Off Pollution.

When rain runs off the land it picks up dirt and silt and carries them into the water. When the dirt and silt (sediment) settle in the water body they enter, these sediments can keep sunlight from reaching aquatic plants, plants that live and grow in the water. When the sun can’t reach the plants, they die. The sediments can also clog fish gills, and smother organisms that live on the bottom of the body of water.

4. Effects of Oil Pollution and Antifreeze.

When oil is spilled into the water, the effects on the ecosystem and its components are devastating. Some animals, such as birds, mammals and fish can be killed if they ingest oil. Many may die from eating oil contaminated prey. Birds may die if the oil coats their feathers. They can neither fly nor stay warm. Furthermore, when oil coats the feathers they can become sick and die. Oil and antifreeze can cause the water to have a bad odor and leave a sticky film on the surface of water that kills animals and fish. Oil is one of the most devastating pollutants of water.

5. Fertilizers and Other Chemicals.

Water from rain runs down the slopes of the land which may include farm areas that use fertilizers, pesticides and other farming chemicals. After that they travel down into the rivers, lakes or oceans. Fertilizers and some chemicals may cause plants to grow quicker. With the growth of more plants, more bacteria will grow (bacteria eat dead plants). Bacteria need oxygen to survive and if there are more bacteria in a river than normal, there is less oxygen for fish and some of them may die. Pesticides are toxic substances widely used in farming and forestry but they are concentrated as they go up the food chain. They are not excreted by the fish or animal absorbing them, they accumulate and are passed to the higher animal that eats them.

Other chemicals besides farming chemicals affect humans as well. Nitrates in drinking water can cause diseases to infants that might cause them death. Cadmium can be absorbed by crops, and if people ingest this in sufficiently large quantities it can cause diarrhea disorders, liver and kidney damage. The culprit is suspected to be inorganic substances such as mercury, arsenic and lead.

6. Contaminated Ground Water Effects.

When contaminated water seeps in to the ground it can have serious effects. People can get very sick and have the possibility of developing liver or kidney problems, cancer or other illnesses.

7. Effects of Factory Pollution.

Many factories have pipes that drain chemicals into rivers and streams. These chemicals can damage aquatic life as they are carried downstream. Furthermore, the added chemicals can warm the river, which decreases the amount of oxygen that the fish need to live.

8. Effects of Garbage from Private Offices and Homes.

Many people today dump their garbage into streams, lakes, rivers and oceans, Some examples of this garbage are cans, paper, furniture and other household products. When people dump cleaning products into the ecosystem they are endangering its inhabitants. When plastic is dumped in lakes, ducks are at risk because they might be strangled and when dumped in the ocean, dolphins might be killed. Aluminum cans can cut the animals and fish.

9. Effects of Acid Rain.

The effects of acid rain are most clearly seen in lakes, streams, rivers, oceans and other bodies of water. Acid rain directly falls on water, but it can flow into rivers after it falls on land. Lakes and streams become acidic when the water and the land around it cannot neutralize the acid rain. Animals that live in the water environment are hurt and possibly killed. Some fish can only tolerate a certain amount of acid before dying.

Задания к тексту

А. Прочитайте все микротексты, прибегая к словарю по мере надобности.

Б. Поработайте с каждым микротекстом.

Микротекст 1

Задание 1. Выпишите однокоренные слова, являющиеся разными частями речи.

Задание 2. Выпишите выражения, передающие вредные воздействия загрязнения воды на природу и человека.

Микротекст 2

Задание 1. Выпишите слова, обозначающие вещества.

Задание 2. Выпишите выражения, отражающие вред, наносимый природе отходами жизнедеятельности человека.

Микротекст 3

Задание 1. Выпишите слова, обозначающие вещества, попадающие в водоемы в результате поверхностного стока во время дождей.

Задание 2. выпишите выражения, обозначающие наносимый природе вред.

Микротекст 4

Задание 1. Опираясь на микротекст, перечислите вредные воздействия, оказываемые на живые организмы нефтью и антифризом.

Микротекст5

Задание 1. Объясните, какой вред приносят природе и людям пестициды и другие ядохимикаты, попадающие в воду.

Задание 2. Выпишите а) название заболеваний, возникающих в результате попадания в организм человека ядохимикатов и солей тяжелых металлов; б) прилагательные, характеризующие качество воды.

Микротекст 6

Задание 1. Назовите (выпишите) болезни, возникающие у людей в результате загрязнения грунтовых вод.

Микротекст 7

Задание 1. Ответьте на вопрос, какой вред наносят природе выбросы в воду промышленных отходов?

Микротекст 8

Задание 1. выпишите названия водоемов.

Задание 2. Выпишите названия различных компонентов бытовых отходов, сбрасываемых в водоемы.

Задание 3. Скажите, какой вред природе наносит выбрасываемый в воду мусор. Задание 4. Ответьте, бываете ли вы порой виновны в подобной неаккуратности.

Микротекст 9

Задание 1. Расскажите о влиянии кислотных дождей на жизнь обитателей водоемов.

Задание 2. Сделайте письменный перевод текстов 1, 2.

Задание 3. Назовите источники загрязнения воды в вашем микрорайоне.

Заключительное занятие – опрос тематической лексики в виде небольших контрольных работ.

Тексты

The Sun.

        The sun looks like a big right ball. It shines on our world and helps us to see everything around us. In the morning the sun is in the east. At first it is low in the sky and then it rises higher and higher. At noon the sun is in the south. In the evening it is in the west.

        The sun shines all the time, but it can shine only on one side of the earth. When the sun shines on one side of the earth, it is day there. When it shines on the other side earth, it is night where you are. At night we do not see the sun, but in the morning it rises again and lights us and warms us.

        The earth turns round the sun in twelve months, or three hundred and sixty-five days. Three hundred and sixty-five days make a year.

The Moon.

The sun does not shine at night, and then we have the moon. But on some nights we do not see the moon at all. When it first shows itself, it is like a line sickle. This sickle becomes larger and larger every evening till it is in the form of a bow. Then the moon is seven days or a week old.

The next seven days it becomes larger and larger till it is round. Then we say it is the full moon, and it is fourteen days old. The next seven days the moon becomes smaller and smaller till it takes the form of a how again. It is then three weeks old.

        For the next seven days the moon becomes smaller and smaller again till we do not see it at all. So the moon moves round the earth in twenty eight days.

The Blue Sky, the Rainbow and the Clouds.

        Very often you see clouds in the sky. Sometimes clouds look like cotton and sometimes they look like grey smoke. Why is it so?

        We must know that clouds are made of millions of rain-drops or bits of ice, so small and light that they float in the air like little balloons. All these rain-drops or ice-drops make a cloud. Even when the sky looks grey with these clouds, the sun is still there above the grey rain-drops. On fine days when there are no clouds in the sky, it looks very blue.

        Sunlight has many colours. Some of these colours we can see better than others. Sometimes when the sun shines through millions of rain-drops which are in the air, we see all the colours of the sunlight — red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet — in a beautiful bridge across the sky. We call that a rainbow.

The Rainbow and the Sun.

        One day in June there is a beautiful rainbow in the sky. It is a rainy day, but the sun shines. The boys and girls say, "Look at the beautiful rainbow".

The rainbow is very proud. It says to the clouds, "Dull things!" And to the sun,         "You are not so beautiful as I am. You shine, but you have only one colour. Look at my colours!"

        “I like your colours, pretty rainbow!”  says the sun with smile.

        Then the sun goes away behind the clouds. At once the rainbow goes out  the sight. The rainbow does not know that it gets its colours from the sun. There can be no rainbow without the sun.

Air, Wind, Thunder and Lightning.

        All around the earth there is air. The sun shines through it, the clouds float in it. We cannot see the air but we know that it is all around us. We breathe air, and so do other animals and plants.

        When the air moves slowly, it is a breeze. When it moves quicker, it is a wind. And so wind is the air moving. Sometimes when the wind blows very hard, there is a storm. And sometimes thunder and lightning come with the storm. Do you know what lightning is? It is electricity in the air. But electricity in the air has no wires, so it jumps from one place to another. It jumps from cloud to cloud or from a cloud to the ground. Lightning warms the air through which it goes. This makes the loud noise that is thunder.

Fog, Rain, Hail, Snow and Ice.

        Sometimes the clouds are very low, so low that they lie on the ground, the trees, the plants, the grass. We call that fog.

        When the little drops of water that make clouds or fog are near each other, they make bigger drops. These drops are heavy. They cannot float in the air, so they fall down. And that is rain.

        When the air is very cold, the rain-drops freeze. They freeze into hard little balls. We call that hail.

But in winter the water freezes in the clouds, and then falls in little flakes. That is snow. Millions and millions of snowflakes come down. They are white, cold and soft.

        And what is ice? It is cold and hard. If it is very thin, you can see through it. If it is thick, it is very strong. The ice is so strong that you can skate on it. But do you know what ice is? It is water. If you put ice in a warm place it will melt and you can see that it is only frozen water.

Rivers and Seas.

        Let us have a look at a river. You see it is full of water. But ponds and pools are full of 'water too.

        Now, what is the difference between a river and a pool? Can anybody tell me? The difference is this. The water in a pool or pond stands still. But the water in a river is running water. It never stops and the river does not run dry. But sometimes there is much water in them, and sometimes very little. When is it? Rivers have very much water after heavy rains. And they have very little water in hot weather.

        Where do rivers flow?

        All rivers flow into the sea, or ocean. The sea is lower than the land. All rivers run to the sea and carry their waters into it. Sea-water is salty. The salt is from the earth. Springs and rivers carry it to the sea. When the sun draws up the water from the sea, the salt remains in the sea.

        Then the water becomes clouds. Soon it falls as rain, and gets into the rivers again. So the sea is getting saltier and saltier.

Our Planet Is in Danger!

I

Save our planet before it’s too late! Humans have been living on this planet for two million years, and in the last two hundred years humans have made a mess of the planet: chopped trees, killed animals, polluted air, land, water, etc. Because of that we now have a lot of problems. I’ll name just a few of them: 1) the greenhouse effect; 2) killing forests and animals; 3) water, air and land pollution; 4) rubbish problems; 5) nuclear power, etc.

It’s easy for us to see what we are doing to the air we breathe, water we drink, garbage we throw out! What about the habitat we don’t see? E. g., rainforests, deserts, grasslands, oceans, etc.? We don’t see them, they are far away from us. What does it have to do with us? It is difficult to understand, but everything on the planet is interconnected and when something goes wrong in some part of the world, everybody loses.

The earth has been getting hotter because we are producing too many greenhouse gases. These gases hold heat. Trees and plants help to take gases, such as carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but we have now destroyed too many trees. There aren’t enough trees and plants to do this job. We make carbon dioxide when we burn wood or drive cars. CFCs (other dangerous gases) are in refrigerators and spray cans. They are known for the damage they are doing to the ozone layer.

Polluting gases fall as acid rains. Large forests and a lot of lakes have been ruined already. Smoking chimneys and car exhaust pipes are pumping tons of rubbish into the air all the time, and we breathe it in. The air in Yaroslavl is very much polluted. People feel it without any test. Doctors say that only 2-3 per cent of healthy babies are born in Yaroslavl. The water is very much polluted too. People cannot bathe in the Volga river.

II

Since the last Dodo bird died in about 1681, thousands of other species of animals and plants have become extinct or endangered.

The Blue Whale, the Panda, the California Big Tree are on the verge of extinction now. Gone forever are dinosaurs, passenger pigeons, California grizzly bears. Elephants, jungle-cats and Asian rhinoceroses are being killed off for their ivory tusks, furs, or horns. Many animals have gone forever, as their habitats have been destroyed at an alarming rate: 340 miles a day! These are the rainforests which are in Central and South America, Africa, Philippines, Malaysia, Australia, India and Madagaskar.

While rain forests are disappearing, so are animals and plants which live there. That means we are losing medicines which people can get from these plants and animals. For example, thanks to a little rosy periwinkle found in Madagaskar, nearly all children recover from the blood disease, leukamea.

III

Nuclear power is cheap, clean and safe… sometimes. The explosion in Chernobyl shows it can go wrong.

Nuclear weapons could destroy the world. Nuclear weapon tests increase the amount of radiation in the atmosphere. Nuclear power produces high-level radioactive waste which can be dangerous for thousands of years.

Before it’s too late, people have to change their way of life. We have to stop ruining the land, sea, and air.

We can help clean up the planet!

IV

“Oceans cover about 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface. Oceans hold up to 97 per cent of the world’s water. But oceans are not as big and as deep as we might think.

“Our Earth measures about 8,000 miles in diameter (across). The average depth of the ocean is only about 2.5 miles. So you can see that the oceans are a thin coating for out planet Earth.

“Oceans are important because they:

“a) provide 90 per cent of the world’s fish catch;

“b) are a place where many animals live;

“c) contain a lot of valuable minerals and other resources;

“d) are highways for trade;

“e) are places for fun and recreation;

“f) are responsible for most of the world’s weather patterns.”

Endangered Species of Animals

        Gray wolf

        Ever since Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf has been personified as a devilish creature and a threat to man. Exaggerated fears and loss of habitat may result in the disappearance of this great predator.

        Cheetah

        Even the fastest animal on earth is defenseless against poachers. In recent years, as many as 5,000 cheetahs have been killed annually. Today the wild cheetah is only found in a few east African parks and reserves.

        Lowland gorilla

        Despite its enormous strength and awesome appearance, the gorilla is a mild-natured animal. But due to loss of habitat and extensive hunting, one of our closest relatives is threatened.

        Red kangaroo

        Kangaroos are slaughtered by the millions each year in their native Australian habitat. There people see them as pests competing with sheep for grazing land.

        Cape penguin

        The cape penguin is South Africa’s only resident and breeding penguin. Over-exploitation of fishing grounds in this region is resulting in an overall decline of this penguin and other fish-eating shore birds.

        Humpback whale

        Unafraid of ships, the humpback whale was easily approached by hunters, resulting in a dwindling population of only 10,000 animals today. Their playfulness and spectacular leaps out of the water make them a favourite among whale watchers.

        Green sea turtle

        The green sea turtle, as well as all other sea turtle species, have been over-exploited for their meat, eggs, oil and skin. Thus, their population is dangerously low.

        Whooping crane

        This crane once lived in the northern U. S. and in the coastal prairies of the Midwest. Today the total population of the whooping crane may only total 50, due to the spread of civilization.

        African elephant

        It is estimated that several hundred thousand elephants remain in Africa, down from over a million less than 10 years ago. As many as 300 are slaughtered every day to supply the world’s ivory trade. If this trend continues, by the turn of the century the largest living land mammal could disappear from the face of the earth-forever.

“We Have Lake Baikal in Common”

        When Valentin Rasputin first heard of Paul Winter’s “ecological jazz”, he did not think that jazz had much in common with nature protection. But meetings with Paul Winter in Moscow, in the USA and in Irkutsk have convinced Valentin Rasputin that Paul’s music is really unusual. He does not simply join the voices of animals and birds with his compositions; he develops them into dialogues. He made his music defend living nature.

        “Live on, Baikal, clear-water Baikal, ancient Baikal, sacred Baikal,” Paul Winter sang in Russian. Then he removed his saxophone from his lips for a moment and said that “The Hymn to Baikal” was dedicated to the researchers of the Limnological Institute of Irkutsk, who were doing all they could in the battle to end the pollution of this unique lake.

        “I know that Paul Winter’s performances help Lake Baikal no less than my books,” Valentin Rasputin says. “Another important thing is that jazz attracts those young people who usually don’t even read serious literature and newspapers… But hearing Paul Winter’s band, they discover that jazz can be very diverse, that it can even promote nature protection and peace.”

Paul Winter’s ideas are the same as those of the Russian author. He believes that the Earth is our common home, a big green home. All its inhabitants – people, animals and birds – need to live in peace and harmony. Paul believes that art and music provide the basis for realizing the wisdom of life.