Mass Media

Цели урока:

1. Практические: формирование практических умений в чтении, письме и говорении.
2. Образовательные: учить правильно употреблять языковые средства, строить фразы, повышать общую культуру выражения мысли.
3. Развивающие: развивать мышление, память, логику, воображение, самостоятельность.
4. Воспитательные: формировать мотивацию к изучению иностранного языка.

Оборудование: варианты заданий, карточки с картинками, кроссворд.

Ход урока

Начало урока: приветствие, сообщение темы урока.

Teacher: Good morning, students!

It is no wonder that the 21^st century is regarded as information age. The mass media actually rule the world and play a very important part in our lives. Newspapers, radio, TV and the Internet inform us of what is going on in the world and give us wonderful possibilities for education and entertainment. But how do you understand the word “mass media”?

Student: The mass media include all the people and organizations that provide information and news for the public. The mass media can be print and electronic.

Teacher: Right you are. And now let’s read the text about the mass media and then we are going to do some exercises. But before reading the text let’s read some active words and word combinations:

news-stand – газетный киоск

background information – “закулисная информация”

natural disasters – природные катастрофы

celebrity – знаменитость

intimate – личный

unreliable – ненадёжный

documentary – документальный фильм

feature film – художественный фильм

violence – насилие

to dull – притуплять

sensitivity – чувствительность

catastrophe – катастрофа

TV addict – теленаркоман

to hook – цеплять крючком, зд. делать зависимым

disabled people – люди, потерявшие трудоспособность

Mass Media.

Newspapers are especially important nowadays and we can’t imagine our life without them. There are dozens of them on every news-stand. There are newspapers for professionals, for businessmen, for children and teenagers, for men and women, for sports fans, for those who are interested in gardening, fishing, hunting, for those who keep pets and so on. Some newspapers publish serious articles on politics, economy and finance, some aim to entertain their readers. Many newspapers express certain political opinion and people choose them according to their own political beliefs. In short, you can always find a paper which suits your interests. The advantage of all the newspapers is that they usually provide us with extra detail, comment and background information. But it is bad that very often newspapers are full of dramatic events about natural disasters, plane crashes, murders and robberies. Having read such articles, you feel depressed and it seems that the world is being ruined. One more disadvantage is that newspapers are full of gossip about different celebrities and their private lives. There are also a lot of photos of them in their most intimate moments. I think it shouldn’t be allowed, besides half of this information is unreliable.

The main source of news for millions of people is television. With its help we can see everything with our own eyes. It is the window on the world which gives us an opportunity to “travel” all over the world. TV gives us food for thought, introduces us to new ideas and activities. It has the power to educate and broaden our minds. It helps us to relax after a hard day’s work and to escape from reality. There is always a great variety of programmes on TV: news and sport programmes, talk shows and TV games, documentaries and feature films, concerts and theatre performances. But nowadays there is a lot of violence on TV. As George Mikes once said, TV teaches us “how to kill, to rob, to shoot and to poison.” We watch hits where people are killed before our very eyes. It dulls our sensitivity and when we learn about one more tragedy or catastrophe, we perceive it as something quite natural, just like an everyday affair. Some people become TV addicts and they won’t give up TV for anything in the world. Nowadays some children are so addicted to TV that they are not interested in anything else: they don’t read books, communicate with adults and other children, they move less, speak less and they even think less. Though there are a lot of excellent educational programmes for children and programmes designed for schools. They help children to extend their knowledge, expose them to different people and places and to develop their imagination.

Many people prefer the radio. It is good to listen to it in the car, or in the open air, or when you do something about the house.

The Internet has recently become another important source of information. It is regarded as the latest addiction to trap thousands of people which has been blamed for broken relationships, job losses, financial ruin and even suicide. Psychologists now recognize Internet Addiction Syndrome (IAS) as a new illness that could cause serious problems and ruin many lives. Many users spend up to 40 hours a week on the Internet. Some of the addicts are teenagers who are already hooked on computer games.

Exercise №1.

Read the following sentences and circle TRUE or FALSE:

Exercise № 2.

Complete each sentence with the most appropriate word from the box.

disadvantage, sensitivity, imagination, to dull, to provide, violence, disaster, celebrity, disabled, hooked, intimate, to educate, catastrophe, to communicate

1. We need to ………. people so that they understand the importance of a good, healthy diet. (educate)
2. You don't have to use your ………. when you're watching television. (imagination)
3. He's a national ………. (celebrity)
4. She has always shown a ………. to audience needs and tastes. (sensitivity)
5. My fear and anxiety ………. my mind. (dull)
6. She's on ………. terms with people in government. (intimate)
7. There is too much brutality and ………. on TV these days. (violence)
8. Her son is ………. and she has to take care of him all the time. (disabled)
9. Your main ………. is your lack of job experience. (disadvantage)
10. Some parents who are concerned about computer games believe their children are ………. (hooked)
11. The money will be used to ………. the school with new computer equipment. (provide)
12. Now that we live in different cities, we ………. by e-mail. (communicate)

Exercise № 3.

Complete the crossword using the words from the text.

Across.

1. A sudden event such as a flood, storm, or accident which causes great damage or suffering (disaster)

2. A terrible event in which there is a lot of destruction, suffering, or death (catastrophe)

3. A film or television or a radio programme that gives detailed information about a particular subject (documentary)

4. A computer system that allows millions of computer users around the world to exchange information (Internet)

5. Facts or details that tell you something about a situation, person, event etc (information)

6. Something that happens, especially something important, interesting or unusual (event)

Down.

7. The information, skills, and understanding that you have gained through learning or experience (knowledge)

8. The ability to form pictures or ideas in your mind (imagination)

9. Behaviour that is intended to hurt other people physically (violence)

10. Something that you watch on television or listen to on the radio (programme)

11. A piece of electronic equipment shaped like a box with a screen, on which you can watch programmes (television)

12. A programme on television or on the radio or a performance for the public, especially one that includes singing, dancing, or jokes (show)

Exercise 4. Comment on the following pictures using the words in brackets.

(to spend up to 10 hours a day on the Internet; to be addicted; to visit different sites; to be glued to the screen)

(to switch to another channel; a TV-addict; to relax after a hard day’s work; to watch news, sport programs, talk shows, TV games, documentaries, feature films, etc.; not to give up TV for anything in the world)

(to listen to the radio; loud music; the latest news; some useful and interesting information)

(to be full of gossip; background information; articles about natural disasters, plane crashes, murders and robberies; unreliable information; to feel depressed)

Exercise № 5.

Tell which of these things you do. Explain your choice:

• I read a lot of newspapers and magazines.
• I watch television for many hours a day.
• I’m fond of listening to music on the radio.
• I can’t live without the Internet and I spend much time on different sites.
• I prefer spending my free time outdoors or going on for sport than watching TV, reading newspapers or listening to the radio.

Teacher: So you have learnt some information about the mass media. Now you are to give your personal opinion and to express your point of view. Give your arguments for and against the mass media.

Student 1: I am fond of watching TV as gives me an opportunity to see the whole world staying at home.

Student 2: But it degrades the eyesight and makes us lazier. We stay at home instead of going for a walk or playing outdoor games.

Student 3: There are a lot of excellent educational programmes and interesting feature films on TV.

Student 4: I agree with you, but there are a lot of silly programmes and commercials as well. Besides there is too much violence on TV these days.

Student 5: As for me, I prefer listening to music on the radio. I can listen to my favourite songs washing the dishes or cleaning my room.

Student 1: But radio doesn’t give you an opportunity to see everything with your own eyes.

Student 5: Yes, but it informs me about the latest news.

Student 6: I like reading newspapers as I can always find some interesting and useful information.

Student 2: But newspapers are always full of bad news and dramatic events. What is more there is too much gossip and unreliable information in them.

Student 7: You will certainly agree that the Internet is a great source of information and entertainment.

Student 3: But the Internet is addictive as well as drinking or smoking. It is harmful to spend too much time in front of the computer screen.

Teacher: So, what conclusion can we come to?

Student 4: We can say that the mass media have both advantages and disadvantages. It is up to us to decide how to use them.

Teacher: You are quite right. Thank you for participating in our discussion. You are very active today. I hope that the theme of our lesson was interesting for you.