Заключительный урок в 11-м классе по теме "Экология"

Оборудование: лозунги на экологическую тему, рисунки детей, фотографии природы города, видеофильм, аудиозаписи.

Учитель (T): Today we have our conclusion lesson on the topic “Ecology”. We are going to speak about our planet, about the problems of environment and pollution. These problems are discussed on radio and TV, in newspapers and magazines. At the lesson we are going to speak about what is happening now on our planet and touch upon the problems of environment in our native town. Then you will exchange your opinions about the problems, how to prevent further pollution, how to protect our planet.

Let’s find out if you know what these words mean.

Дети объясняют значения следующих слов и словосочетаний: ecology, environment, atmosphere, acid rain, pollutants, recycle, smog, endangered species.

For example:

• ecology – the study of organisms and their environment.
• environment – all the surroundings of an organism, including other living things, climate, air, water and soil.
• atmosphere – the layer of gases surrounding the Earth.
• pollutants – man-made wastes that lower the quality of water and air.
• acid rain – harmful gases from cars and industrial enterprises fall back to the Earth
• with rain and snow.
• recycle – to use over and over again.
• smog – air pollution that comes from cars and factories.
• endangered species – animals and plants in danger of becoming extinct.

Why are people so interested in environmental protection?

Let’s imagine that this apple is our Earth and cut it into quarters. Three quarters of the Earth’s surface is water and only one-quarter is land. Cut it in half. Only one-half the land is habitable. The rest of the land is the deserts, mountains and other places people cannot live.

Since ancient times Nature has served Man, being the source of his life. For thousands of years people lived in harmony with environment and it seems to them that natural riches were unlimited. But with the development of civilization man’s interference in nature began to increase. Because of that we now have a lot of problems. They are represented in your pictures.

About 200 years ago, the air was pure and clean, perfect for people and animals of the earth to breathe. Then people started building factories. Those factories and many of the things they make put a lot of harmful gases into the air. Then people started driving cars, which added more pollution to the air. Today the air is so polluted in some places that it’s not always safe to breathe. Many cities around the world have air filled with a pollution called “smog”. The air which should be a beautiful blue looks brown. Polluted air is not only bad for people and animals, but for trees and other plants.

The planet Earth is mostly water. There are oceans, rivers, lakes, streams and even water underground. All our life depends on this water. But we don’t keep water clean. Rivers and lakes are polluted by garbage or by poisonous chemicals. Underground water is polluted by harmful liquids and pesticides used on farms. The ocean is used as a place to dump garbage and poisonous chemicals that kill fish and other creatures.

Every day there are more and more people living on the planet. All these people need room to live. So forests are cut down. Their disappearance upsets the oxygen balance. The plants and animals that live there become endangered – which means they begin to disappear. Some even become extinct – which means that they all die out. The truth is we use animals or parts of animals for jewelry, clothes, shampoos, soaps and cosmetics. Animals are being killed off for their tusks, furs or horns. Vast forests are also burn in fire. We are losing medicines which people can get from plants and animals.

Each person throws trash daily. Put it all together and you’ll fill a lot of trash trucks every day. Almost all garbage is taken to a garbage dump where trucks empty it onto the ground. Now we are making so much garbage that in many places there is not enough room to bury it all. We throw garbage not only on garbage cans but everywhere: on the ground, in water. Litter is not only ugly, but it can be harmful to wildlife.

Let’s read the text and choose the one best answer to each question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the text.

P2 (power station): Every day we see smoke coming out of the tall chimney of our power station that burns coal. When the town was founded this large enterprise was situated in the suburb. But soon new districts were built and the power station is in the center of the town now. It put a lot of harmful gases into the air. In winter the snow around it is black.

P4 (garbage): Twice a day garbage trucks come to our houses: in the morning and in the evening. It’s very convenient for people because they are at work during the day. But some people don’t want to wait for the trucks and put litter everywhere they want. You can see such garbage dumps in the streets of the town. There are special trash receptacles, but we throw cigarette butts, paper and bottles on the ground.

Дети делятся на две группы и высказываются “за” и “против” строительства гаражей. Мэр (один из учеников в классе) подводит итог дискуссии.

The citizens: I want to say that a lot of trees on the bank are cut down to build garages. You are going to poison fresh air with car exhaust. You will wash your cars near the river and pollute the land and the water with harmful substances. I want to say that it’s a place where our children can have fun. We want them to be healthy. Think of your future. The best place for garages is out of town. Sell your cars and ride bikes, it’s useful for your health and not dangerous for environment.

The drivers: The car is not a luxury; it helps us in our work. We have cars and we need garages not far from our homes. To have garages out of town is not only uncomfortable, but dangerous. We mustn’t build garages in the yards, because there are playgrounds and sport grounds there. We’ll put garbage cans and wash our cars in automatic washes. We’ll keep the territory clean.

The Mayor: Dear citizens! Your problems are our town problems. Thank you for coming and for the information I’ve got. I’ll do my best to solve this problem.

T: This problem is very difficult to solve it just now. So try to do it at home and answer the question, “How would I solve this problem if I were the Mayor?”

(Далее учащиеся высказываются о мерах, которые должны принять для решения экологических проблем).

• Factories and plants must be redesigned and modified.
• Garbage must be recycled.
• We must learn not to litter.
• Plant a tree at your home or school.
• Watch, but not disturb wild animals, etc.