SAVE THE EARTH!
LOURDES
RUIZ RODRÍGUEZ
La unidad
didáctica ha sido diseñada para hacer
que nuestros adolescentes de 4º ESO se den cuenta de la importancia de llevar a
cabo buenos hábitos de vida, no sólo para mantenerse saludables, sino también
para evitar la destrucción de nuestro planeta.
Toda la unidad trata sobre el medio ambiente, que a su vez
forma parte de los llamados Temas Transversales recogidos en el Art. 5.4 de
Decreto 231/2007: Educación Medioambiental, Educación para
Se introducen
nuevas palabras, a la vez que se repasan algunas funciones comunicativas
básicas y de contenidos gramaticales ya vistos en clase anteriormente. Además,
con las diferentes actividades planteadas, los alumnos/as podrán trabajar las
Competencias Básicas, conforme a
1.-PEDAGOGICAL JUSTIFICATION
This didactic unit has been designed to make our students realize about
the importance of taking good habits to avoid the destruction of our planet. The
Earth is in danger and human beings should start changing the way of life. The
whole unit deals with this topic which, by the way, forms part of the Cross-Curricular topics (Art. 5.4 of D.
231/2007): Environmental Education, Health Education and Civic and Moral
Education.
The
didactic unit will be carried out in eight sessions, and it reviews, as well as
introduces, a number of basic communicative functions and grammar contents
related to linguistic domains which are very close to the students´ lives.
Our
students are supposed to know the basic structure of a simple sentence in the
Present Simple and Future Simple tenses (these tenses has been seen in the 1st
term) in order to make coherent sentences with the new grammatical sequence.
Likewise, this unit interacts with other areas,
such as Natural, Social and Cultural environment, and Information Technology .
2.- CONTEXT OF THE UNIT
This unit is addressed to
students in the fourth year of Secondary Education (4th ESO).
The reason why I have chosen it is because I was in charge of students at this
age and level and they were very receptive and very motivated to learn English.
This year is very important for these students because it is their last year in
Secondary Education.
THE SCHOOL
The school is located in the Axarquia area, about 30
kms from Malaga. It is a village on the coast, so it is visited by tourists all
over the world.
In the past few years there has been an
influx of people from other countries mainly from South America and Eastern
Europe. These people have integrated successfully into the community and the
Spanish language does not seem to be a particular problem for them. The
objectives of this Secondary school are: the general improvement of English language,
mathematical competences and carrying out various activities aimed at catering
for diversity.
THE STUDENTS
This is their fourth year at Secondary
school. The students are generally 15-16 years of age with the occasional 17-18
year old (in those cases, the student had to repeat the same level because he
or she did not achieve the minimum standard in more than 2 subjects).
Generally, they are in the final stages of developing their deductive reasoning
skills; they have fully developed the ability to work in groups and cooperate
with others, but they need further encouragement to develop autonomous learning
to give them a sense of achievement. Therefore, they are aware of the
importance of learning English, but have to be encouraged to put more effort
into their work.
3.- OBJECTIVES
The following didactic objectives are in connection
with the Stage Objectives (LOE 2/2006
and D.231/2007) and the EFL Subject
objectives (R.D.1631/2006).
|
DIDACTIC OBJECTIVES |
EFL SUBJECT OBJECTIVES |
STAGE OBJECTIVES |
|
1) To
make students understand the oral instructions given by the teacher. |
1) To
listen and understand general and specific information from oral texts in
different communicative situations, adopting a respectful attitude of
cooperation. |
B):Decreto 231/2007 H / I |
|
2) To
learn how to use conditional sentences in texts. |
4) To
write simple texts with different purposes on diverse topics using suitable
resources of cohesion and coherence |
H, I, L |
|
3) To
encourage our students to be aware of the problems that our planet is
suffering due to pollution and other causes. |
3) To
read and understand different texts in a suitable level for the abilities and
interests of the pupil, with the end of extracting general and specific
information, and to use the reading as a source of pleasure and personal
enrichment. |
K D):Decreto 231/2007 |
|
4) To be
able to agree and disagree about a topic: interaction. |
2) To
express and interact orally in normal communicative situations; in a
comprehensible, proper way and with certain level of autonomy. |
A/ D |
|
5) To
value ICT resources as excellent ways to get information. |
7) To
use learning strategies and didactic resources, such as Information
Technology in order to obtain, select and present oral and written
information. |
E |
|
6) To
extract information from written and oral texts, showing comprehension. |
8) To value foreign
language as an instrument to make access to information and as a learning
tool of different themes. |
A , C, D , J , K |
|
7) To
make students learn the right pronunciation of new words. |
5) To
use the phonetic components (lexicons, structural and functional basic of the
foreign language in real communication contexts) accurately. |
H , I , J |
|
8) To
show students how to learn, review, revise and develop strategies to use
linguistic functions accurately. |
6) To
develop learning autonomy, think about the learning process and transfer
knowledge and strategies of communication, acquired from other languages to
the foreign language. |
F , G |
4.- KEY COMPETENCES
This unit
includes specific work on the following competences, according to LOE 2/2006:
5.- CONTENTS
The contents take into account Real
Decreto 1631/2006, on December 29th, by means of which the
minimum teaching frame for Compulsory Secondary Education is set.
|
COMMUNICATION SKILLS, divided into two sections:
1:listening and speaking; 2: reading and writing. -Listen
and understand texts to extract specific information. -Produce
oral and written texts using a real condition. -Read
and interpret texts. -Appreciate
formal accuracy in the production or oral and written messages. -Student
interaction to talk about ecology. |
KNOWLEDGE AND REFLECTION ON THE LANGUAGE A) Language functions and grammar, following
sections 1, 2 and 3: - First
conditional sentences to express a real condition in English. -Time
expressions and time clauses used in first conditional sentences. -Agreement
or disagreement. -Revision
of the Present Simple and Future Simple tenses. B) Vocabulary: section 3 Words
and expressions related to ecology and environment. C) Phonetics: section 3 -Pronunciation
of 3rd person singular of the Present Simple (review) -Pronunciation
of difficult and new words on ecology |
SOCIO-CULTURAL ASPECTS, following section 4. -Favourable
disposition to understand and make oneself understood in English. -Identify
the socio-cultural aspects implicit in the texts. -Interest
and knowledge for the ideas which have appeared in English texts. -Knowledge
of how the English language and its culture work. -Show
respect for our environment. -Interest
for the use of the audiovisual communication, information and communication
technologies (ICT). |
6.- METHODOLOGY
This
methodology is based on a communicative approach which will allow for the
development of students´ abilities to communicate in English and express
themselves. It is also a study and review of language structure and grammar
whilst always trying to achieve a suitable balance.
The
development of the four skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) in
English in real communicative situations is the constant aim of this
educational activity. That is the reason why there are different types of
exercises and activities practiced inside and outside the classroom where
students are active participants by working in pairs or in small groups. The
practice of working with partners encourages them to consider new ideas and
strategies for learning which can be useful for other subjects in Compulsory Education.
The
purpose of all these principles is to make our students want to learn English.
The English language is the main vehicle of communication between
student-teacher and student-student as a daily practice. Students have an
important position in the teaching-learning process and this leads us to pay
more attention to learning strategies so that the students will become more
independent.
Throughout the eight
sessions, we will be using some of the latest approaches in teaching a foreign
language (visual aid, emphasis on oral production, realia..).
7.-SPECIAL NEEDS
Attention
to diversity will be carried out by means of the reinforcement and extension
activities and extra material addressed at those students whose abilities and
interests require a step further into the contents of the unit. Obviously, for
those called slow-learners, we can adapt the same activities according to their
abilities (non-significant curricular adaptations) without changing
significantly, as long as possible, the fundamental aspects of the course
curriculum.
Open-ended
tasks, also called heterogeneous activities that I have chosen, make it
possible to help different kind of students in their learning process. In this
way, slower learners can succeed at the same time as the brighter ones can
stretch themselves to the limits of their abilities.
The
practice of working with partners or small groups make it possible the
integration of students who need support because fast-learners can help slower
ones in the learning process; rotation of students´ seats would also be
convenient for that reason.
8.- EVALUATION
Orden 2007, on August 10th, which establishes the curriculum for
Compulsory Secondary Education in Andalusia, is taken into account.
The assessment procedure is divided into three
parts:
1.-Initial assessment to determine the starting point of both the
student and the group.
2.-Formative assessment (classroom activities
and course plan evaluation, to check whether they meet the students´ needs)
3.- Summative assessment to determine final
achievements and the students´ general progress.
Evaluation criteria
-
To understand the
general information and all relevant data from a written text, showing
comprehension.
-
To understand
general and specific information from oral texts in which personal information
is provided.
-
To engage in
interaction and brief simulations with their classmates, producing personal
information, agreement or disagreement, etc.
-
To reflect about
the topic we are dealing with, our environment: what can we do to help our planet?.
-
To use the
knowledge acquired on the use of conditional sentences, showing awareness,
using it as a tool for self-correction and self-assessment.
-
To use ICT
resources, in a guided way, in order to search for information, showing
interest on its use.
-
To identify, use
and explain different strategies for advancing learning, such as reflection on
self-learning, acceptance of error, and use of techniques to learn and memorize
vocabulary and pronunciation of new words, as well as the use of grammar aids.
Assessment tools
–
Direct
observation of the student´s class work, their notebooks, their attitude and
participation in the teaching-learning process.
–
Oral and written
texts
–
Written
compositions and projects.
–
Remedial work
based on reinforcement and consolidation activities.
In this unit, the following progress tests will be
done:
-A written test, consisting of a text, to
assess global and specific written comprehension, and of structural grammar
activities and of vocabulary in context.
-A listening test, to be done individually,
and speaking test, in pairs, where the communicative functions of the unit must
be used.
And, of course, my own performance as a
teacher:
9.- DESCRIPTION OF THE UNIT
This unit is called SAVE THE
EARTH!, an attractive name for students.
The aim of this session is to teach the new vocabulary related to the
environment and new grammatical structures (first conditional sentences).
UNIT DEVELOPMENT:
First session
A.-Warm-up.
I ask my students: “What does “Save the Earth” suggest?”, so that any student
raises his/her hand to answer it. I also ask them to look at the pictures of
the worksheet I give them so that they can say what they see.
Our students learn new words and expressions by
repeating words based on ecology:
Car fumes pollute (s) the air
Factory fumes destroy (s) the water
Acid rain
the soil
Rubbish
trees.
Students must write sentences with a word or
expression from each column. Example: Car
fumes pollute the air Time: 15
minutes
B. Reading.
First of all, I play the CD to listen to the text. Then I ask a student to read
it aloud in the classroom.
The
environment
When our parents were our age, people
didn´t worry about saving the environment because they didn´t know it was in
danger. A lot of people had very bad habits. It´s often more difficult to
change the way you do things when you are an adult and so young people are very
important. If we have good habits, older people will learn to be more
ecological because they will have good examples to follow. Here are some ideas:
. Always put
plastic, glass and metal in special containers for recycling.
.Buy and use
recycled paper.
.Always turn off
lights if you aren´t using them.
.Have quick showers
instead of baths.
.Use public
transport, walk or ride a bicycle. Time: 20 minutes.
C. Grammar
By making use of the text, students can see sentences
referring to a real condition (first conditional sentences).
Students have to do several grammatical activities.
Time : 15 minutes
Second session
A. We correct homework
based on grammar. Time: 15-20 minutes
B. Chain drill.
Give students an “if clause” in the first person and
write it on the board. Call on a student to complete the sentence by giving a possible
result. The next student takes the result and restates it as a condition.
He/she suggests a possible result of the new condition. Example:
Teacher: If I eat too much,…
Student 1: If I eat too much, I will feel sick.
Student 2: If I feel sick, I will stay home from
school.
Student 3: If I stay home from school, I will miss an
English test.
Time: 20 minutes. Skills: listening and speaking.
C. Writing for
grammar. Reinforcement.
Tell students to work in pairs. Ask each student to
write three negative sentences, for example:
I won´t pass the test.
She won´t tell me what happened.
Pass these on to your partner, who must complete each
sentence with a clause beginning with if
or unless. Return the page to your
partner. Call on several students to read what their partners wrote.
Whole class. Time: 15-20 minutes. Skills: writing for
grammar
Third session
A. Flash cards.
Students must write 1st conditional sentences on a piece of paper
about the topic we are dealing with, for example:
If we recycle
plastic and glass you´ll produce less rubbish.
After that, students have to cut the two sentences
out, that is to say, they must separate the if-clause and its result clause. I
have to collect all sentences and mix them up and distribute them out again in
a different order. Students can get funny sentences. Each student will have to
read his/her sentence out. Whole class. Time: 20 minutes. Skills: speaking and writing.
B. Additional
vocabulary about ecology. Students have to repeat after me the new words:
Acid rain, biodegradable, environment, erosion,
litter, greenhouse effect, landfill, oil spills, ozone layer, pollution, rain
forest, recycling, recycle, reuse, resources, solar energy, toxic waste.
We must emphasize the pronunciation of difficult words
such as, biodegradable, pollution, species, ozone, etc.
- Students must work in pairs asking each other these
words until they know them. Then they have to use at least half of them in
sentences describing the ecological situation in the world today. Pupils have to
read their sentences out to be corrected in class. Time: 20 minutes.
-The list is not complete. Pupils can include more
words by using dictionaries. Time: 10-15 minutes.
-Project: “What can you do to help save the future of
our planet?” Students can work as individuals, form groups, start a class
project. They can design and put up posters or slogans. They can use the
Internet outside the classroom.
Fourth session
A. We start the lesson revising the words pupils have
learned about ecology and environment. A good way to do this is by building a syllable pyramid. Students race to
brainstorm words and build a pyramid (one-syllable word at the top, then a
two-syllable word, three-syllable word, etc). For example: one-syllable words: air, green, sun, tree, Earth, etc. Individual activity. Time: 10-15 minutes.
B. Discussion.
Work in groups. Below there is a list of what we can do to save our
environment. Which measure is most important to you? Working individually, put
numbers 1,2,3,… according to its importance (1: most important). When ready,
look at answers and compare with other members in the group. Discuss the reason
for their choice. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each measure?
Students learn new expressions of agreement and
disagreement: I agree …, I don´t agree…,
I think that… , I don´t think that…
.Avoid taking
your car whenever you can.
.Save old papers
and take them for recycling.
.Save bottles and
glass jars and take them for recycling.
.Take showers
instead of baths.
.Install solar energy
in your house.
.Join an
ecological society e.g. Greenpeace. Time: 25 minutes
C. FIND SOMEONE
WHO
Students must go around the classroom and ask their
mates questions in the present to find out who does these activities:
Usually takes a shower instead of a
bath-----------------------------------
Saves paper for
recycling-----------------------------------------------------
Saves glass jars and bottles and takes them to a
bottle bank--------------------
Takes his/her own shopping bag when shopping------------------------------------
Avoids buying
aerosols--------------------------------------------------
Once they have completed their copies with the names
of their mates next to each sentence, I ask questions to my students to know
more about their habits. Time: 20 minutes.
Fifth session
A. Extension
worksheet: Water Conservation and
Agriculture.
Students listen to a CD about agriculture in different
parts of the world. The first time they only listen to the texts without the
photocopies. After that, once they have the tape script they will listen and
read the texts. New words will be underlined and included in the vocabulary of
the unit.
.Fast learners can make their own questions about the
texts.
.Slow learners will answer questions the teacher
prepares for them on the blackboard.
Sixth session
Review of grammar: On line and CD-ROM activities for review of grammar
(1st conditional sentences). Students work individually or in pairs
with computers, in order to carry out the online tasks from different websites
and CD-ROM resources.
The teacher observes and helps with possible
linguistic or technical problems.
Seventh session
Unit test: Students carry out a written test on the contents of
the unit. Students will also do a listening activity to show their degree of
mastery in this skill.
Eighth session
Feedback on test unit: review all the contents in the
unit. Presentation of reinforcement and consolidation activities similar to the
activities already seen in class, for those who fail tests.
10.- MATERIALS AND RESOURCES
I
have tried to use different and motivating resources for this didactic unit,
simple activities appealing to my students: flash cards, worksheets, CD-ROM,
CD- player, the Internet, reference book, blackboard, bilingual and monolingual
dictionaries and photocopies.
Bibliography
1.
BOLTON, D and GOODEY N (1996) English Grammar in steps. Richmond.
2.
Common European
Framework of Reference for Languages (2002): Learning, teaching,
assessment (CEF).Council of Europe, Strasbourg.
3.
EDWARDS, L (2005) Timesaver. 40 Combined
skills lessons for the Common European Framework. Scholastic. London.
4.
GRANGER, C and PLUMP J (1987) Play Games with English. London:
Heineman. 5. KENDALL, M (2005) Burlington Beginner´s Material for
Multi-cultural classes. Burlington.
5.
MURPHY, R. (1987) English
Grammar in Use (with answers). Cambridge: CUP
6.
WATCYN-JONES, P (1997). Pair Work 1. London: Penguin.
Interesting Websites:
1.
www.uwex.edu/erc/gwah#What%20is
(useful for the project)
3.
www.cambioclimatico.britishcouncil.es