Содержание элективного курса "Travelling abroad" (предпрофильная подготовка)

Тема о путешествии всегда интересует ребят в любом возрасте, а путешествовать за границу ещё замечательней. Поэтому своим девятиклассникам я предложила элективный курс “Путешествуя за границу”. Он актуален, так как стимулирует интерес учащихся к изучению английского языка, помогает определиться с выбором профильного обучения в 10 классе, а иногда и с выбором будущей профессии. Данный элективный курс рассчитан на 8 часов и представлен в виде 8 тем.

1. At the airport.
2. At the hotel.
3. In the city.
4. In the shop.
5. If you are ill or at the doctor’s office.
6. In the restaurant.
7. At the border.
8. Back home.

Курс интересен тем, что он направлен на общение. Каждый урок учащимся выпадает возможность представить себя в роли иностранца или русского туриста, обыграть ситуации и приблизить их к реальности.

Цели курса

• развитие социокультурной компетенции,
• воспитание толерантного отношения к проявлениям иной культуры,
• подготовка школьников к выбору будущей профессии.

Задачи

• совершенствовать коммуникативную компетенцию учащихся,
• развивать все виды речевой деятельности

Привожу несколько уроков курса.

Lesson 1. At the airport

T.: - Do you like travelling?

- Do you prefer to travel about Russia or abroad?

- What kind of transport do you prefer?

T.: When you are going to travel by plane you need a map, а passport, a visa and an air ticket. Imagine that you are having a trip abroad.

Exercise 1. When you travel by airplane, you need to know what to do and what to say once you arrive at the airport. Read the words below and consult a dictionary if you need a definition.

Aisle, aisle seat, baggage claim area, boarding area, boarding pass, carry-on luggage, emergency exit, flight attendant, gate, lavatory, life jacket, metal detector, overhead compartment, oxygen mask, pilot, seat belt, security officer, terminal, ticket counter, tray table, window seat, X-ray machine.

Exercise 2. Now, complete the sentences below with the best answer:

1. The _____will be serving food and beverages after the plane reaches its cruising altitude.

1. flight attendants.    B. Pilots.    C. security officers.

2. After the plane lands, you can pick up your luggage at the ______.

1. boarding area.    B. baggage claim area.    C. overhead compartment.

3. If the cabin loses pressure during flight, you should put on your _______so you can breathe comfortably.

1. seat belt.    B. life jacket.    C. oxygen mask.

Exercise 3. Read the text about popular UK airports and answer the questions: Is Heathrow and London Airport one and the same thing? Is it the only Britain’s airport? If so, are these airports much smaller than Heathrow?

Famous UK airports

How to get to Britain? You can try hitchhiking, but Britain is an insular state and part of your way you’ll have to sail or take a ferry.

The quickest and probably the most reliable way of travelling to Britain is by air. The major British air company is British Airways, or BA. If you come to Britain by air, you’ll see Heathrow, one of the world’s biggest airports. Its official name is London Airport.

Heathrow is London’s major airport. It was opened in 1929 as a small base for flight tests, and it became an international airport in 1946. Over 44 million people pass through Heathrow each year and 1,000 aircraft a day land and take off there. Heathrow is to the west of London. There is a direct underground rail link which takes an hour to reach Central London. There are many robberies from passengers’ luggage at the airport, and it is sometimes called “Thiefrow”.

Gatwick is London’s second airport after Heathrow. It is to the south of London. Over 21 million passengers pass through the airport every year, and in summer about 700 flights land and take off there every day.

Stansted is London’s third airport. It is to the north of London. It was opened in 1942 as a base for the American Air Force during the Second World War. In 1966 Stansted became a passenger airport. It takes over 3 million passengers a year, many of them holiday-makers.

There are two more important airports in Britain: Luton Airport (near the town of Luton, 30 miles northwest of London) and London City Airport which handles a growing number of European flights. [1]

Exercise 4. Find synonyms of the following words in the text.

1. Vacationer – (holiday-maker)
2. An island – (an insular state)
3. To get to – (to reach)
4. Essential – (important)
5. To operate – (handle)

Exercise 5. Make up the dialogues using the following phrases.

Travel by plane

Lesson 2. At the Hotel

Exercise 6. What is most important for you when you are going to choose the hotel. Rank the following concepts from most to least important.

- price per night;

- size of the hotel;

- number of stars;

- comfortable room;

- friendly staff;

- service at the hotel;

- satellite TV;

- location of the hotel (in the centre/far from the center).

Exercise 7. Work in pairs and compare your ranking schemes. Discuss what might be most important for different groups of travelers (businessmen, the elderly, holidaymakers, …).

Exercise 8. Listen to the following story and choose the correct answer for each question.

A Forgetful Tourist

Once a tourist arrived in London. When he got off the train, he asked the porter to show him the way to the post-office. He sent a telegram to his wife, informing her that he had arrived safely and giving her the address of the hotel he intended to stay at.

Then he went to the hotel, left his luggage there and went out for a walk. As it was his first visit to the English capital, he was interested to see the museums and the sights of this beautiful city.

He strolled about a bit, had dinner at a small restaurant and looked at the shops. When he felt tired and wanted to return to the hotel, he suddenly realized that he didn’t remember its name or even what street it was in.

Suddenly he remembered the telegram which he had sent to his wife on his arrival. She knew his address and could help him.

So at a late hour his wife received this extraordinary telegram: “Please send me my address at once.”

1. What did the tourist ask the porter to show him?

а) the way to the hotel; b) the way to the station; c) the way to the post-office.

2. To whom did he send a telegram?

   а) to his parents; b) to his wife; c) to his friend.

3. What did he write in the telegram?

   а) his address; b) the number of his train; c) the date of his arrival.

4. Where did he leave the luggage?

   а) at his friend’s; b) at the station; c) in his hotel.

5. How many times did he visit London?

а) many times; b) one time; c) three times.

6. What did he do in London?

а) saw the sights; b) went to the cinema; c)went to his friends.

7. Why didn’t he go to the hotel?

а) it was not late; b) he wanted to visit his friends; c) he didn’t know the address.

8. Whom did he ask about the address?

а) the porter; b) his wife; c) his friend. [2]

Exercise 9. Make up the dialogues using the following phrases.

At the hotel

Lesson 3. In the shop

Exercise 10. London is famous for its big stores. Can you match these shops on the left to their locations? (anticipating)

Key: 1-g, 2-c, 3-a, 4-e, 5-f, 6-d, 7-b.

Exercise 11. Read the text about the most popular store and decide if the following sentences true or false.

Shop Every Floor of a Famous Department Store

Harrod’s, one of the world’s most famous department stores, takes up an entire city block of Brompton Road. Take the tube to Knightsbridge and walk only a short way to the store’s door. You’ll probably want to return to your hotel in taxi with all your purchases! One very interesting thing: Harrod’s has a dress code. You have to be dressed very badly to get turned away, but it does happen, so don’t wear your torn blue jeans or well-worn tee shirt that day.

The store’s motto is, “Everything for everyone, everywhere”… so you shouldn’t have a problem finding what you want. It might, however, cost you more than it would at home. Harrod’s has two sales every year, one after Christmas and one at the end of June. If you are in London during these times, you will likely find huge bargains at Harrod’s. In fact, locals camp outside the previous night to grab the best buys early. Beware: if you don’t like crowds, don’t go; it’s wall-to-wall people and you won’t enjoy the experience.

The store is huge, but the areas you shouldn’t miss are the Food Halls on the ground floor. Harrod’s began as a grocery store and it’s still important to them to retain that tradition. You will be amazed – not only at the selection, but how it’s displayed. Buy something to take with you, or head to the Sushi Bar or Champagne and Oyster Bar in the Meat, Fish and Poultry Food Hall and have fun.

Another great area is Harrod’s World, on the lower ground floor, where you’ll find a wide range of Harrod’s souvenirs to take home for gifts.

If you would like to visit the store in style, you can always charter one of the store’s executive helicopters and forget about the traffic on High Street!

1. Harrod’s is huge. (T)
2. You may wear bad clothes when you start to Harrod’s. (F)
3. “Everything for everyone, everywhere” means that every person can find a problem while shopping. (F)
4. Prices at Harrod’s and at home are different. (T)
5. The store usually has sales twice a year. (T)
6. During these times Harrold’s is full of people. (T)
7. The Sushi Bar is a head department of the store. (F)
8. Every visitor gets a helicopter to forget about the traffic on High Street. (F)

Exercise 12. Find the English equivalents for the following words:

Прогонять (turn away), поношенный (well-worn), дёшево купленная вещь (bargain), местные жители (locals), жить временно (to camp), направляться (to head), заказывать (to charter), с шиком (in style)

Далее идут ещё несколько небольших текстов и заданий о вышеупомянутых универмагах, чтобы подтвердить догадку учащихся. (упражнения 12-13)

Exercise 13. Make up the dialogues using the phrases in the table.

In the shop

Следующие части курса разработаны по такому же принципу. В каждом уроке доминирует один из видов речевой деятельности: аудирование, чтение, говорение. Интересен урок “Back home”, где учащимся предлагается образец авиабилета и задание - изучить и ответить на вопросы о путешествии владельца билета.

Данный курс направлен на общение. Недаром каждый урок заканчивается диалогической речью; и реплики, и структура последнего задания каждого урока выстроены по принципу русско-английского разговорника. (Вопросы и реплики приведены в сокращении).

Список литературы

1. Журнал “Иностранные языки в школе” 6/1999, “Travelling to Britain and in Britain”-с.84.
2. Журнал “Иностранные языки в школе” 3/2000, “Олимпиада по английскому языку для учащихся 11 классов средней школы” - с.42.
3. Журнал Clockwork - выпуск 1,1992.
4. Различные сайты в Интернет.