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UNIT 7: EARTH, THE MOST PRECIOUS JEWEL
0. GENERAL SETTING
1. ORGANIZING AND TIMING
1.1. Level and Term
1.2. Numbers of Lessons
1.3. Skills and subskills
1.4. Teaching aids
2. ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS
3. OBJETIVES / AIMS
4. CONTENTS
4.1. Concepts
4.2. Procedures
4.3. Attitudes
5. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
6. DEVELOPMENT OF THE UNIT (SEE APPENDIX)
7. CROSS-CURRICULAR LINKS
8. TRANSVERSAL TOPICS
9. REMEDIAL WORK
10. EXTRA ACTIVITIES
11. BIBLIOGRAPHY
0. GENERAL SETTING
In dealing with this unit we should bear in mind:
1. The unit inside the school syllabus and its relationships with other subjects in order to
see if we can arrange any cross-curricular activities.
2. The school situation and peculiarities, the teaching aids available, the frequency of
lessons per week, the time of the day when lessons take place, the number of students per
class, the physical size and shape of the classroom, the brightness of the light, etc.
3. The students’ previous knowledge, their needs, interests, motivation, social and
educational background.
4. What type of exams (if any) the students will have to do and when.
1. ORGANIZING AND TIMING
1.1. Level and Term
This unit is aimed for pupils from the first course of Bachillerato.
1.2. Number of Lessons
Six sessions of 55’ effective instruction. Anyway, we should bear in mind that depending on
the level of the class and students’ previous knowledge more or less time may be needed.
1.3. Skills and subskills
We should use the four basic skills and the following subskills: explaining the meaning of
words, finding out meaning from context, using the dictionary, using new technologies.
1.4. Teaching aids
Pictures, questionnaires, CDs, computers, books, dictionaries, handouts and the blackboard.
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2. ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS
Students may get confused with the distinction between the 1st
and the 2nd
conditionals. They
also may be confused about what modal verb to use in each situation.
3. OBJECTIVES / AIMS
1. To write and talk about children-environment relationships.
2. To extract global and specific information from oral and written messages.
3. To use different strategies to infer meanings of unknown lexical items from
context.
4. To learn how to use the different verb tenses in conditional sentences.
5. Write a formal letter of enquiry.
6. To make students aware of the importance of natural resources in their lives.
7. Use new technologies as a source of information and learning.
4. CONTENTS
4.1. Concepts
1. 1st
and 2nd
conditional.
2. Vocabulary related to Ecology such as: lake, jungle, cliff…
3. Difference between the sounds / ʧ / /ʤ / / ʒ / / ʃ / as in children, message…
4. Some modal verbs.
4.2. Procedures
1. Answer the question about the topic of the unit and underline the words related to it.
2. Answer the questions.
3. Choose the correct answer.
4. Complete sentences with the first and second conditional.
5. Read the sentences and complete the rules about some modal verbs.
6. Multiple choice and fill-in-the-gaps exercises.
7. Match the words to the pictures.
8. Listen to a text and say if the sentences are true or false.
9. Discriminate sounds.
10. Write a formal letter.
11. Surf the internet to search information about the environment.
12. Make posters to encourage other students to recycle, save water and electricity…
4.3. Attitudes
1. Showing respect and tolerance for other people’s views and opinions.
2. Interest in cooperative work in class, both with the teacher and peers.
3. Understanding and respect towards the importance of environment in our way
of life.
5. ASSESSMENT
1. The individual progress of each learner.
2. The effort of the students independently of the level of achievement of the objectives.
3. The fluency and correctness in the use of English language.
4. Global comprehension of oral and written communication from different sources taking
out relevant information in each case.
5. Oral and written exams.
6. Homework assessment.
7. Class observation of pronunciation, correctness and grammatical accuracy, participation
and motivation in the subject and their interaction with their partners.
8. Optional tasks for fast finishers and remedial work for slow learners.
9. Task every four units.
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6. DEVELOPMENT OF THE UNIT (see appendix)
7. CROSS-CURRICULAR LINKS
We suggest co-operation with the Department of Geology and Science, Eco-Escuela and
School: Place of Peace Project.
8. TRANSVERSAL TOPICS
With regard to the transversal topics for Unit 7 we should mention: Education for Health.
9. REMEDIAL WORK
These are reinforcement activities assigned to the students who have not fulfilled the aims for
this unit. Those students will be given extra activities.
10. EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
These are activities for those students who finish their homework soon or that their level of
English is higher than the rest of the class. Their goal is to motivate them and to get them into
learning more and more English.
11. EXTRA ACTIVITIES
These are activities just for fun. They are designed to practice and reinforce what the students
have learnt. Their objective is to use and learn real English. In this unit students will watch
the trailer of the film “Avatar”.
12. BIBLIOGRAPHY
• Magazines:
o The Teacher’s Magazine. Editorial EDIBA.
o Ronda Iberia Magazine
o SUR in English Newspaper
• Books:
o Acklam, R. & Naber, T. (2002) New Impact. Oxford. Oxford University Press.
o Cuder Domínguez, P., Rodríguez Tuñas, R. & Granger, C. (1999) Vision.
Oxford. Macmillan Heinemann English Language Teaching.
o Bolton, D & Falla, T. (1998) Pre-Select. Oxford. Oxford University Press.
o Anderson, J., Woods, M. & Páramo Gutiérrez, M. J. (2002) Targets. Limassol
(Cyprus). Burlington Books.
• Web sites:
o www.isabelperez.com (grammar, vocabulary, texts…)
o www.ego4u.com (grammar and vocabulary)
o www.mansioningles.com (grammar, vocabulary, texts…)
o http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/specials/ (news)
o http://www.make-stuff.com/recycling/ (information)
o http://www.languageguide.org/english/esp/ (grammar)
o http://www.macmillandictionary.com/ (dictionary)
o http://www.ldoceonline.com/ (dictionary)
o http://visual.merriam-webster.com/ (visual dictionary)
o http://englishyesplease.blogspot.com/ (grammar, vocabulary, texts,
news…)
o http://mbonillo.xavierre.com/httpdocs/grammar/2bch.html (grammar)
o http://bachiller.sabuco.com/ingles/eloy/ (grammar)
o http://www.trailerspy.com/trailer/ (subtitled films)
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o http://www.trailerspy.com/trailer/7250/Avatar-Trailer-HD--Closed-
Captions (“Avatar” Trailer)
APPENDIX
INTRODUCTION
1) What natural disasters are reflected on the pictures?
READING
3) Read the text and underline all words related to natural disasters.
4) Answer these questions about El Niño.
1. Where does El Niño take place?
2. Who called it El Niño?
3. When was it noticed for the first time?
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a- Volcanic
eruption
b- Flood
c- Tidal wave
El Niño
The climatic phenomenon called El Niño involves the periodic warming of the waters of the
eastern and central Pacific Ocean along with a weakening of the equatorial trade winds. It's a
naturally recurring event that causes a large mass of warm water, normally situated off Australia's
coast, to move east toward South America.
The warm water displaces the cold Humboldt Current that flows north along the coast of Chile
and Peru. The name was coined by Peruvian fishermen in Spanish for “the Child” when the
effects of warm El Niño water were noticed around Christmas in the late 1980s.
The effects of El Niño are felt worldwide. International scientists say meteorological and
oceanographic readings from the tropical Pacific during the summer of 1997 indicated the
beginning of an El Niño that could equal or exceed this century's strongest one, which took place
in 1982–83. That El Niño caused approximately $13 billion in damages around the world. Water
temperatures off the coast of South America peaked at 14 degrees above normal. Fifteen-hundred
deaths were blamed on that El Niño episode. General effects include droughts in Latin America,
Africa, and Australia, and extraordinary typhoons in Polynesia. In the United States, severe
winter storms usually occur in California and the Gulf States during El Niño conditions.
Experts are sure that if people do not take better care of the natural resources, the world will be a
very difficult place to live in. It is because of that that we should be aware of the importance of
recycling, not wasting water, etc. If we all spend the natural resources in a better way, the world
would improve a lot.
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4. How much damage did El Niño cost?
5. Has it killed anybody?
6. What can we do to avoid such phenomena?
GRAMMAR
1) Choose the correct answer.
1. If you obey the law, you didn’t get / won’t get into travel.
2. They would buy / will buy a larger television if they had more money.
3. If there is / will be a job shortage, you will have a hard time finding a job.
4. Would Brian adjust better to living in Italy if he learns / learned the language?
5. She will win / would win the race if she finishes it under seven minutes.
2) Fill in the gaps. Use the first and second conditional.
1. Jim is releasing a new album this month. If it ....... (be) a hit, ....... (become) famous.
2. If I ....... (know) the answer, I....... (help) you. However, I don’t know it.
3. Unless we....... (save) some money, we....... (not travel) to London next summer.
4. He ....... (feel) better about himself if he ....... (have) more self-confidence.
5. If she ....... (convince) me that the product is good, I ....... (buy) it.
3) In pairs… Write five sentences to answer the following question: “What would you
do to help the environment at home?”
4) Read the sentences and complete the rules.
a) They may insist that you come home early.
b) They might try to stop you going to a particular bar or club.
c) It can’t be easy for them to accept that you are a young adult now.
d) It must be great to have liberal parents.
e) You could feel a bit neglected.
5) Choose the correct alternative.
1) Are you coming out tonight? I (might / must) but I’ve got to ask my parents first.
2) Your parents are so strict! It (must / can’t) be fun living with them.
3) Tom always gets good marks in exams. He (must / might) be doing well at school.
4) I’m going home now because it’s late and my mum (could / can’t) be worried.
5) You (must / can’t) feel neglected sometimes because your parents go out so often.
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We use......, ......., or ......to say that something is possible in the present or the future.
We use.......... to say something is impossible.
We use......... when we are sure that something is true.
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PRESENTATION OF MODAL VERBS (Using laptop)
The car might stop.
It might not.
6) Choose the correct alternative.
1. They can / might be away for the weekend but I’m not sure.
2. You may / might leave now if you wish.
3. Could / May you open the window a bit, please?
4. He can / could be French, judging by his accent.
5. May / Can you play the piano?
7) Fill in a suitable modal verb: must, can, may, and might.
1. I’m sure he’s a nice man. ---He …………… be a nice man.
2. I’m sure he’s not a teacher – he’s too impatient. ---He ………….. be a teacher.
3. It’s possible it will rain tomorrow. ---It …………. rain tomorrow.
4. Ann has been in bed all day. --- She …………..be ill.
5. Peter didn’t take that money – I’m sure of it! ---Peter ……….. be the thief.
VOCABULARY
8) Match the words with the pictures.
cloud thunder snowman umbrella snow light
rain rainbow tornado flood avalanche icicle
raindrop wind ice raincoat
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More practice??? → www.isabelperez.com
→ www.ego4u.com
→ www.mansioningles.com
→ http:// englishyesplease.blogspot.com
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9) Put the words in the box into two columns, nouns and adjectives.
Nouns Adjectives
sun sunny
10) Complete the weather forecast using some of the nouns and adjectives from 8.
In the south-west, there’s going to be a loo of (1)…….. .
It’s also going to (2) ………. In fact, the (3) ……….. may
reach speeds of 90 kilometres per hour. It’s not going to be
much better in Wales. It will be (4) ……….. and there will
be (5) ………. in places. The weather in the east of
England is going to be very different. It’ll be quite (6)
………… and warm: the temperature will probably reach
15º. In contrast, the north of England will be (7) ……….....
and visibility may be as little as 20 metres.Over the
mountains of Scotland there will be (8) ………. .
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sunny sun wind wet fog lightning
cloudy rain snow wind foggy thunderstorm
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11) Put names under the pictures.
Volcano River Town Forest Canyon Peak Lake
Cavern Stream City Canal Hill Dune Pond
Mountain Waterfall Desert Cliff Jungle Oasis Dam
LISTENING: ESCAPE
On the CD, you will hear the story of an Australian policeman, Steve Kirkpatrick, who was
involved in a forest fire.
11) Find the meaning of the following words. Use your dictionary to help you.
Forest
Scared
Disappeared
Flame
Choice
Ride
Crash down
Blocked
12) Listen to the CD. Are these sentences true or false?
1. He was driving his police car.
2. When he first saw the fire, it was coming in his direction.
3. He turned round as fast as he could.
4. He saw a eucalyptus tree on fire by the side of the road.
5. He didn’t get past the eucalyptus tree.
13) Listen to the CD again and fill in the gaps.
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SPEAKING
14) Discuss.
Have you ever seen a forest fire? What happened?
15) In groups, decide what you would do in these situations. How would you survive?
1. You are walking in a remote area with a friend and he / she is bitten by a snake.
2. You are in a forest and you get completely lost.
3. You are on the third floor of a building which is on fire and there is no fire-escape.
4. You are swimming a long way from land when you see a shark coming towards
you.
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Useful vocabulary
Why would you…?
The best thing would be to…
I definitely wouldn’t…
It wouldn’t be worth… (+ -ing).
I’d probably…
I think I’d…
Steve Kirkpatrick: I was on motorcycle patrol, on my way to Bendigo. It was a hot
summer day in March. I knew there was a big forest (1) ….. in the area but I didn’t know
exactly where. Then I turned a corner and I found out. There, about 50 metres in front of
me, the road was on fire. The (2) ….. were coming towards me.
I have never been so (3) ….. in my life. Fire kills. The road in front of me just
disappeared into a wall of flame. Very quickly, as fast as I could, I turned my bike round
until I was facing the opposite direction. Then, I used all the power of my 1000 cc to
accelerate away, out of danger. Or that’s what I thought. Two minutes later, I turned
another corner and there in front of me was another fire. So I had a fire behind me and
now another one in front of me. What could I do? I had no choice. I had to ride through
the wall of fire in front of me.
Just then, I saw a tall eucalyptus (4) …... It was on fire and it was about to fall over the
road! I had to get past it. I accelerated to over 180 kph and just got past as the tree crashed
down. I looked back. The tree completely blocked the (5) ….. behind me.
Then I shut my eyes and rode through the wall of flame. I came out of the fire on the
other side – alive. I was very lucky to survive. Over 20 other people that day did not.
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PRONUNCIATION
16) Listen to the pronunciation of these words: she vision cheap teenager
17) Complete with the words according to the pronunciation of the letters underlined
/ ʧ / / ʤ / / ʒ / / ʃ/
pleasure
question
children
joke
miniature
sugar
tissue
essential
machine
organisation
measure
message
18) Listen and check.
WRITING
19) Read the letter and match the four paragraphs of it to these descriptions.
1. Polite ending.
2. Giving more information.
3. Request.
4. Introduction (reason for writing).
20) Where does Martin write?
Example: his address? – in the top right-hand corner of the page.
1. the name of the person and the address he is sending the letter to?
2. the date?
3. the signature.
4. his name.
21) Find the words in Martin’s letter to answer these questions. How does Martin:
Example: open his letter? – Dear Sir or Madam.
1. introduce the subject of the letter?
2. give some brief information about himself and what he is interested in?
10
47 Coventry Street
Brighton
BN1 7PP - England
Academia Internacional
C/ José Abascal 72, 1º
41002 Sevilla - Spain
21 February
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to enquire about the language courses which I saw advertised in the Guardian
last week.
I am a 16 year-old English student and I am interested in taking a three-week course at your
school in August this year. I have been studying Spanish for three years at secondary school
and I have an elementary knowledge of the language.
I would be grateful if you could send me full details of your courses, including information
concerning cost, the content of the courses and the accommodation.
I look forward to receiving this information.
Yours faithfully,
Martin James.
11. ! Organization is very important when you write a formal letter, make sure that:
the position of things like your address and the date are correct.
your letter is clearly divided into paragraphs.
there is a space between each paragraph so they stand out clearly.
each paragraph has a clear purpose – introduction, information, request, ending, etc.
Mª Trinidad Ortigosa Maldonado 44.255.479-Y
3. request information?
4. close his letter?
22) Write an 80-100 words formal letter of enquiry about this advertisement.
1. Watch the trailer and answer the following questions:
a. What can you see? Use as many new words as you can.
b. If you haven’t watched the film, what do you think it is about?
c. If you have watched the film, describe the plot in your own words.
2. Watch the trailer without subtitles and try to write down as much as you can
understand.
3. Watch the trailer with subtitles and check your answers.
4. For risky students: Invent new dialogues and descriptions for the film and dub it.
11
Study English in America
The University of California is a prestigious residential university which offers quality
English language education in a stimulating environment.
great reputation and moderate fees
small class sizes
extensive social programme
For more information, contact: International Programs, University of California, 1200
University Av, Riverside, 92507 USA.
F
I
N
I
S
H
E
D
?
Surf the internet
to search
information
about the
environment:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/specials/
http://www.make-stuff.com/recycling/
Make posters to
encourage
other students
to recycle,
save water
and
electricity…
Working with real English: Films