Aims:

• To revise language for describing disasters;
• To develop students’ main language skills;
• To help students talk about disasters and survival techniques;
• To help students’ develop ability  to search, collect and process information;
• To develop students’ ability to work cooperatively and flexibly in group.

Learning outcomes:

By the end of the lesson students will be able:

• To recognize issues relating to natural disasters;
• To define a disaster and list a set of safety rules;
• To make a poster and present it to the class.

Materials and resources:

• Несвіт А. М. Англійська мова: Ми вивчаємо англійську мову: підруч. Для 10 кл. загальноосвіт. навч. закл. (9 рік навч.): профільний рівень. – К.: Генеза, 2010. – 304 с.: іл..;

PROCEDURE

I. LEAD-IN

Activity 1 page 129 (textbook)

Listen to the poem. Say what unusual natural phenomenon the author describes. What does she compare the disaster with?\

STORM

Jagged light, blue and bright

Flashes in the air.

Rumble bumble, crash boom

What’s going there?

The Man in the Moon is having a party,

Fireworks burst and fly

As wild drums and dancing feet

Echo though the sky.

By Clyde Watson

II. VOCABULARY WORK

Brainstorming students’ ideas

Ask students to supply as many words as possible related to disasters/accidents

Disaster:

Fire

Tornado

Car accident

Train derailment

Air crash

Shipwreck

Earthquake

Tsunami

Volcano

Flood

Hurricane

Look at these words and say which of them are natural and which are caused by error.

Anticipated answers:

(Flood, hurricane, tornado, tsunami, volcano, earthquake, fire – though fire as both a natural (when caused by a lightning) and manmade disaster)

Identifying accidents (work on computers – natural_disaster.pub)

Students are given several pictures and seven words. The task is to match the words with the pictures by dragging the certain word to its picture. Say which ones out of all these disasters are possible to happen in our region.

Anticipated answers:

The students suggest their ideas (flood, earthquake, fire) and the teacher sticks the pictures to the whiteboard.

Brainstorming the vocabulary

Task. Supply as many words as you can to the disasters shown in pictures.

Anticipated answers:

Flood – water everywhere, flowing roads, cars floating away, houses filled with water etc.

Earthquake – shaking, collapsed buildings, damaged roads/buildings, victims, debris (pieces of wood, metal, brick, etc that are left after sth has been destroyed) etc

Fire – flames, burns, fire brigade, smoke, heat, fire extinguisher, fireman, smoke damage etc.

Say what feelings people often experience in such situations.

Anticipated answers:

Feelings – fear, panic, terror, distress, trauma, horror, despair, helplessness, etc.

III. LISTENING FOR GIST. (Enterprise 4. Student’s book. Ex. 3 p. 47)

Task: Listen to the people’s comments and match them with the pictures (A,B,C) on the whiteboard

Tapescript

1.     ‘I’ve have never seen anything like that before. I thought the rain would never stop!’
2.     ‘We think it may have started either by a candle or a cigarette that was left burning!’
3.     ‘It was awful. The earth was shaking under my feet. I was very scared.’
4.     ‘I was shaking with fear. The smoke and flames were everywhere. I could hardly breathe’
5.     ‘Everything is ruined: carpets, curtains, furniture. It’s such a mess. My kitchen floor is covered with a thick layer of mud.’
6.     ‘It was awful. The flames were licking at my feet. I was trapped.’
7.     ‘We tried to get people out of the fallen debris. All the time we were afraid there would be further shocks.’
8.     ‘I was terrified. Cars were floating down the street as the water was rising higher and higher.’
9.     ‘The first thing was this terrible rumbling sound. It went on for perhaps half a minute, but it seemed like forever.’

Answers:

Flood		Earthquake		Fire
	A		B		C
Comments 1,5,8		Comments 3,7,9		Comments 2,4,6

Task: Listen again and make comments about these pictures as if you had been involved in these events. You may add your own ideas.

Anticipated answers:

Flood: “I was really scared when the water started to fill the living room. I didn’t know what to do”

Earthquake: “It was terrifying. Our house just collapsed around us.”

Fire: “I thought we were going to die. The smoke was really thick and I could hardly breathe.”

IV. Group work

Split students into three groups. Assign each group a certain disaster (e.g. flood, earthquake, fire). Each student in a group has his own task. As a result of their work they have to make a poster.

Group 1 – flood

Student 1

Task. (work on computer) – Encarta Encyclopedia/Flood Control/Causes of floods/Control of floods. Using Microsoft  Encarta Encyclopedia find the information on the following points:

1. When do floods occur?
2. What is a flash flood?
3. What are the basic methods of flood control?

Student 2.

Task. (work on computer) – Reading. doc

Read the descriptions, choose the text that describes the flood and use the words in the list to complete the blanks. Write out the key words.

Student 3. (handouts)

Task. Choose the survival techniques which are important to learn and apply in case of flood.

Group 2 – fire

Student 1

Task 1. (work on computer) – Encarta Encyclopedia/Fire/Introduction

Using Microsoft  Encarta Encyclopedia find the information on the following points:

1. What is fire?
2. What are the uses of fire?
3. What is the destructive role of fire in people’s lives?

Task 2. (work on computer) - Encarta Encyclopedia/Destructive force/House fires

Using Microsoft  Encarta Encyclopedia find the information on the following points:

1. Where can destructive fire occur?
2. What causes the most house fires?
3. What are the causes of wild land fires?

Student 2.

Task. (work on computer) – Reading. doc

Read the descriptions, choose the text that describes the fire and use the words in the list to complete the blanks. Write out the key words.

Student 3. (handouts)

Task. Choose the survival techniques which are important to learn and apply in case of fire.

Group 3 – earthquake

Student 1

Task 1. (work on computer) – Encarta Encyclopedia/Earthquake/Introduction/Reducing damage

Using Microsoft  Encarta Encyclopedia find the information on the following points:

4.    What is an earthquake?

5.    When does it occur?

6.    Is it possible to prevent earthquakes?

Student 2.

Task. (work on computer) – Reading. doc

Read the descriptions, choose the text that describes the earthquake and use the words in the list to complete the blanks. Write out the key words.

Student 3. (handouts)

Task. Choose the survival techniques which are important to learn and apply in case of earthquake.

TASK SAMPLES

Student 2

Task. Read the descriptions, choose the text that describes the best the disaster you need according to your personal task given by the teacher and use the words in the list to complete the blanks. Write out the key words.

Text 1

All of the sudden the ground started shaking. It began slowly than got faster and faster. People were running out of their houses and into the street as buildings started to collapse. The only safe place to be was away from the buildings in the parks or school playing fields.

Text 2

There was water everywhere. The road became a fast flowing river and parked cars were floating away. People climbed up to their roofs and watched as their houses filled up with water. They didn’t know whether to start swimming or wait to be rescued.

Text 3

No one is sure how it started, but 3 days later it was still raging put of control. The weather was dry and windy so it quickly spread and many surrounding towns were in danger. Luckily, on the fourth day, there was a rainstorm which helped to put it out.

Student 3.

SURVIVAL TECHNIQUES

EARTHQUAKE

• if you hear the warning of a possible earthquake, take the necessary things, food, documents, and leave the house;
• before leaving the flat or house, turn off electricity to prevent fire’
• don’t panic; act quickly and quietly;
• keep away from the buildings;
• go to the parks or school playing fields, assemble in open spaces;
• if it happens to suddenly and you have no time to go out, the best place to shelter is in a doorway or under a heavy table.

FIRE

• wrap a wet blanket around yourself;
• cover nose and mouth with damp cloth;
• use the nearest emergency exit;
• avoid using shifts;
• don’t panic;
• open the window of the room you are in;
• raise the alarm and call the fire brigade (if possible)
• yell “Fire” to alert others;
• stay close to the floor;
• if you see smoke, evacuate the building quickly and quietly.

FLOOD

• turn off electricity to prevent fire and electrocution;
• do not attempt to swim as you could be washed away or drown;
• go to the highest level of the building and wait for rescue;
• let off flares;
• get rid of heavy clothes in case you fall into the water.

V. Presentation

Each group presents its poster and gives advice about what to do in case of a certain natural disaster. All of the other students make notes.

Speaking blank

• You should always …
• At no time should you ever…
• Never…
• It would be a good idea to …
• The most important thing is …
• Always remember to …
• Make sure that …

VI. Evaluation and assessment

VII. Homework

Make a presentation of your project work in Microsoft Power Point and add some more ideas about safety rules.

 

Кращі уроки Всеукраїнського конкурсу «Учитель року - 2012» у номінації «Іноземна мова. Англійська»/упор. М.М. Бацай. – Чернівці: Букрек, 2012. – 256с. – с. 149-156.