Cudgel Your Brains!
Objectives: Students will be able to read a magazine article for detail, speak about the most useful and important inventions, solve quizzes and work in the groups.
Material: activity sheets, posters with the quotations.
Procedure of the Lesson.
I. Teacher’s introductory word.
-Good morning, my dear friends! I’m glad to see you. As you know in our lyceum science week is being held and during the lessons in most subjects the main topic is science, famous inventors and their inventions. Today we’ll have a contest which is called “Cudgel Your Brains!”The motto of our contest is
“Imagination is more important than knowledge, for imagination embraces the world.” (Albert Einstein)
You’ll have not only to speak English, but to solve mathematical problems, crosswords and puzzles. I hope you’ll cope with all tasks and have a lot of fun. There are two teams. The first team is called ....The captain of the team is.... The second team is called.... The captain of the team is....
Группа делится на две команды,
каждая из которых придумывает
название и представляет себя.
Each team will get a point for a correct answer.
I wish you good luck!
Let me introduce you to our jury....
В состав жюри входят учителя
английского языка
или старшеклассники.
II. Contest 1 “Interpretation of the Proverbs.”
On the blackboard there are two English proverbs: “Necessity is the mother of the invention” and “Experience is the mother of wisdom”. The first task for both teams is the following: try to explain the words above. The ability to speak English perfectly will be evaluated.Also you should be convincing.
-Your time is up. Now, let’s listen to the team...Well, thank you for your interpretation. Let’s listen to the team... The team... is given award for the most interesting interpretation of the proverb.
III. Contest 2 “Invention Match Puzzle.”
Teacher: - Yes, you were right, speaking about the inventions and explaining the reasons why they appeared. New inventions always change the people’s ways of living.
But today inventors would be surprised if they saw how their inventions are being used now. Match the name of the invention with its use.
Both teams are given worksheets with “Invention Match Puzzle.”
1. Traffic Signal_ A. Keeping sports fans comfortable in domed stadiums
2. Electric Battery_ B. Sending a person’s voice to radios and TV’s around the world
3. Telephone _ C. Making disposable clothing
4. Telescope _ D. Letting millions of cars drive through crowded cities
5. Paper_ E. Powering devices that help the human heart
6. Rocket Engine_ F. Checking luggage for dangerous weapons
7. Air Conditioner _ G. Picking up voice and e-mail messages
8. Microphone_ H. Riding satellites to find out planets outside the solar system
9. X-ray _ I. Making huge skyscrapers safe
10. Lightning Rod _ J. Helping cars break the sound barrier
Keys: 1.-D; 2-E; 3-G; 4.-H; 5.-C; 6-J; 7-A; 8-B; 9-F; 10-I
Teacher: - Well, that’s fine! Both teams have done this task well, so each of you will get a point. The next contest will be the following.
IV. Contest 3.
This amusing robot will start working if you solve the crossword.
Down:
1. Kitchen appliance with the help of it you mix liquid or soft substances.
3. Device which is used as X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System. Invented by Douglas Engelbart in 1968.
6. Apparatus that records.
7. Aircraft with one or more engines. The first one was invented by the Wrights brothers in 1903.
Across:
2. Electronic device which stores information (data) on disc or magnetic tape, analyses it and produces further information as required.
4. A set of colourful plastic bricks for children’s games.
5. Apparatus in which food and drinks are kept cold.
8. Printing device.
9. Machine made to act like a man or a pet.
10. Wire or metal device for holding things (e.g. papers) together. Invented in 1900.
11. A device which sends and receives data between two computers.
12. Device for generating, amplifying and concentrating light waves into an intense, highly directional beam, used to cut metal and jewels, to aim weapons.
13. Dry printing process invented by Chester Carlson in 1938.
Answers:
V. Contest 4 “Mathematical Quiz.”
Teacher:-Now, it’s time for mathematical quizzes. Each team is given a pair of problems.
Team 1.
a) Two Legs, Four legs.
A puzzle maker looks out a window into his back yard. He sees a mix of the boys and cats. He counts 22 heads and 68 legs. He wants YOU to figure out how many boys are in the yard.
There are 12 cats and 10 boys in the back yar.
b) How much is...?
How much is 1+2+... +100=?
Begins with the ends: 1+100=101, 2+99=101, 101Ч50=5050
Team 2.
a) How old ...
When my mother was 41 years old, I was 9 years old. Now she is twice as old as I am. How old am I?
32 years old
b) What place did each girl take?
Ann, Lena, Natasha and Tanya have participated in the tennis tournament. We know that Lena has failed to take the first place. Tanya has got a prize for her second standing. Ann has been neither first nor last. What are the final results?
Natasha, Tanya, Ann, Lena
Every team is given a point for the right answer.
VI. Contest 5 “Reading Comprehension.”
Teacher: - Read the following magazine article and get information about new invention.
Both teams are given the same text.
Text for reading:
Butterfly Wings Inspire New Waterproofing Material
A tropical butterfly’s wings inspired scientists at Japan’s Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology to develop a new colourful, waterproof, and self-cleaning material that may someday be used to protect windows and even cars.
Rows of microscopic scales on the wing surface of the Morpho sulkovskyi butterfly repeal water and create a brilliant blue colour. The wings continuously stay shiny and clean because water rolling off the surface carries away dirt particles.
So if you don’t have to wash your car in the future, it may be because of the Morpho sulkowskyi butterfly!
(By Sharon Thompson,
National Geographic Kids Magazine,
September12, 2003)
Choose the proper answer:
1) Japanese scientists were inspired by ...
a) panda’s colour , b) butterfly’s wings, c)dragon- fly’s wings
2) The scientists developed new...
a) cleaning paste b) cleaning cloth, c) self- cleaning material
3) The wings of the tropical butterfly remain clean because ...
a) it cleans its wings, b) rains clean them, c) water rolls off and carries away dirt particles
4) In future we won’t have to...
a) wash our hands, b) our cars, c) our clothes.
5) New material will help us to protect
a) roads, b) environment, c) windows and cars
Teacher: - The team... is given a point for most right answers.
VII. Captains’ Contest “A Long Word.”
Teacher: -There is a card with a long word “MEASUREMENT.”Make up new words using the letters in any order. You have only one minute.
Possible answers: Are,am, sure, man, men, nest, rest, measure, meat, arm, sum, set, sea, use, rat, mat, sat, sun.
VIII. Contest 7 “Magic Sentences”
Teacher: - Find in the following sentences numerals.
- Boys, listen to me, please.
- Honesty is the best policy.
- Paul is going to leave today; Robert went yesterday.
- Please, see off our guests.
IX. Contest 8 “Do You Know?”
Choose the correct answer.
Both teams are given worksheets with the questions.
- Who was the inventor of the first aqualung?
- Jacques Chirac (France)
- Jacques Cousteau (France ,died in 1997)
- Thor Hyerdahl (Norway)
- Who was the first man invented a thermometer?
- Anders Celsius (1701-1744)
- Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
- Gabriel Daniel Fahrengeit ( 1686-1736)
- Who was awarded the Nobel Prize twice?
- Niels Bohr
- Albert Einstein
- Marie S. Curie
- When was the first Nobel Prize awarded?
- 1899
- 1900
- 1901
- Who received the Nobel Prize for holography?
- Yuri Denisyuk (Russia)
- Dennis Gabor (Great Britain)
- Gabriel Lippmann (USA)
- Bronze consist of
- copper and iron (Cu + Fe)
- copper and tin (Cu + Sn)
- copper and zinc (Cu + Zn)
X. Conclusion.
Teacher: - I’m happy to announce the results of the contest. The team... has got ... points. The team... has got ... points.But both teams did all best to win and all of you get prizes now. My congratulations!
