Цели урока:
1. Развить навык монологического высказывания учащихся на английском языке в рамках темы “The countries”.
2. Расширить знания учащихся о национальных особенностях народов через использование страноведческого материала.
3. Воспитать интерес и любовь к своей стране через сравнивание с другими странами.
Good morning boys and girls. We have an unusual lesson today. Our class is divided into 3 groups:
Americans, Englishmen and Tatarstaners. Imagine that I am a milliardaire. I would like to visit some country for traveling, but I don’t know whitch country I should choose. Your task is to tell about your countries, about your people, sights. Your aim is to interest me in the visit your country, because I would like to present several milliards dollars for country I’ll choose.
Each group prepared some information, interesting facts about their country. Try to follow the plan:
- Geographical situation.
- The climate.
- The people.
- The sights.
Let’s begin. Tell about America, please
(Первая группа – американцы. Учащиеся защищают свою презентацию)
The United States is the fourth largest country in the world in size and population. It has an area of 9,371,781 square kilometres and its population is 249 million people. The US consists of 50 states. The largest state is Alaska. Hawaii is one of the smallest states, it is a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, 2,397 miles from California. The other 48 states stretch across the North American continent for about 3,000 miles (4,800 km) from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Along the Atlantic Coast the land is flat, inland from the coast there are the Appalachian Mountains. In the middle of the continent there is the great Mississippi River, which flows to the Gulf of Mexico. The middle part of the country is generally flat, this area is called the Great Plains. In the west there are two main mountain systems: the Rocky Mountains and the Cascade Range.
The climate of the US is temperate, with four distinct seasons. The northern part of the country has snow in winter. The hottest places are Florida, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Southern Florida and Hawaii are subtropical. The East is much wetter than the West.
In conclusion Americans are a people like all others. They care for their families and; they work and seek to improve their houses or apartments; study to improve themselves and struggle through daily trials. They, perhaps, differ in that they have a strong sense of “where there is a will there is a way”.
There are many sightseeing in America. The main sightseeing is the Statue of Liberty. Loca -ted in New York, at 151 feet (46 meters) tall (305 feet including base and pedestal), the Statue of Liberty symbolizes freedom throughout the world. Its formal name is Liberty Enlightening the World. The Statue was actually a gift from the people of France. The statue, made of copper sheets with an iron framework, depicts a woman escaping the chains of tyranny, which lie at her feet. Her right hand holds aloft a burning torch that represents liberty. Her left hand holds a tablet inscribed with the date “July 4, 1776” (in Roman numerals), the day the United States declared its independence from England. She is wearing flowing robes and the seven rays of her spiked crown symbolize the seven seas and continents.
The executive branch of the government is headed by the president. The president carries out federal laws and recommends new ones, directs national defense and foreign policy and performs ceremonial duties. Powers assigned to the president include directing the government, commanding the Armed Forces, dealing with international powers, acting as chief law enforcement officer and vetoing laws. The two constitutionally provided officers in the executive branch are the president and vice president. Article in specifies the oath to be taken by the President of the United States. “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. In taking the oath in 1790, George Washington added “so help me God.” By tradition all presidents since that time have also added the words.
George Washington is the first person to be elected the President of the USA. George Washington led the American army in many battles during the War for American Independence. In honor of him the capital of USA was named – Washington.
And this is the Washington Monument , built in honor of George Washington.
The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson. He was the third President of the United States. This is the Jefferson Memorial built in honor of Thomas Jefferson. Inside is a 19-foot statue of Thomas Jefferson standing on a 6-foot pedestal. The writings of Thomas Jefferson are inscribed on the walls.
This is the Lincoln Memorial, built in honor of Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lin coin taught himself how to read and write. He became the sixteenth President of the United States in 1861. Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the blacks in the South from slavery. Inside the memorial is a huge statue of the former president.
Washington has many historical places. The largest and tallest among the buildings is the Capitol with its great Hall of Representatives and Senate Chamber. There are no sky-scrapers in Washington because no other building must be taller than the Capitol.
The White House is the President's residence. All American presidents except George Washington (the White House was not yet built in his time), had lived in the White House. It was built in 1799. It is a two-storied white building. In 1814, during the war with England, the White House was burnt down. After the war the charred remains of the building were whitewashed, so as not to spoil the view. Since that time the residence of the American presidents has been always painted white.
- Thank you very much. And now listen to Englishmen.
(Вторая группа – англичане, представляют свою нацию)
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (or the UK) is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK covers the British Isles which is the geographical name of all the islands situated off the northwest coast of the European Continent. They consist of Great Britain, Ireland and of about five thousand small islands. The North Sea, the Strait of Dover and the English Channel separate Great Britain from the continent. It is washed on the west coast by the Atlantic Ocean and by the Irish Sea.
The climate of Great Britain is mild. The Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the weather on the British Isles. The summers are cool and rainy; the winters are not very cold.
Englishmen are naturally polite and are never tired in saying “Thank you”, “I' m sorry”, “Beg your pardon”. If you follow anyone who is entering a building or a room, he will hold a door open for you. Many foreigners have commented on a remarkable politeness of the English people.
English people don't like displaying their emotions even in dangerous and tragic situations, and ordinary people seem to remain good-tempered and cheerful under difficulties. The Englishman, prefers his own house to an apartment in a block of flats, because he doesn't wish his doing to be overlooked by his neighbours. “An Englishman's house is his castle”.
There are many sightseeing in England. Let’s begin with Tower Bridge. This is Tower Bridge. It is one of the famous bridges across the Thames. It opens and ships go up and down the River Thames.
The houses of Parliament is one building but it is called the Houses because it has 2 chambers - the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The queen is a member of the House of Lords. A member of the House of Lords may be present at the sittings of the House of Commons, but a member of the House of Commons may not.
When the Parliament has a sitting, a flag flies from the Victoria Tower. It is Union Jack - the national flag of U.K. On the Tower of the House of Commons there is the biggest bell and clock which chiming is heard every quarter of an hour all over London. It is called "Big Ben" in honor of Benjamin who built the bell.
The Tower of London stood there for almost nine hundred years. It is more connected with the royal dynasties. It was originally built as a fortress to guard the river approaches to London. William the Conqueror began building the Tower for the purpose of protecting the city. Later it was a palace, a prison, a treasury and an observatory. Now it is a museum.
In the West End of London one can see the famous St. Paul's Cathedral, the masterpiece of the well-known English architect Christopher Wren. The old building of the Cathedral was sadly in need of repair and Christopher Wren was called on to carry out repairs and alterations, but he was prevented from doing this by the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London that destroyed the old cathedral. Nearly eight years passed after the fire before the ruins of the old building were cleared away and the new work was begun. When Wren made a start, he picked out a stone from the heap of ruins and found on it a word in Latin which meant “I shall rise again”. So he made that the first stone of the new Cathedral. It took him 35 years to build the Cathedral.
In 1805 England defeated the allied French and Spanish fleets in a great naval battle at Trafalgar; this was a triumphant victory of the British nation over Napoleon. To commemorate the victory of Admiral Lord Nelson at Trafalgar Trafalgar Square was constructed. The Nelson Column was erected in 1842 in commemoration of Admiral Nelson, who was killed in this battle.
The statue of Nelson on the top of the Column was made by a well-known English sculptor Edward Bailey. Round the base there are four bronze carvings representing scenes from famous naval battles. In 1867 four great lions were placed at the foot of the Nelson Column.
There are many museums and national Galleries in London. Madame Tussaud’s Museum of Waxworks is one of the popular museums. It consists of several halls with wax images of outstanding people. The wax figures are standing and sitting, looking at you and sometimes you feel uncomfortable in their company.
- Thank you very much. Let’s continue. Tatarstaners, present your nation, please.
The Republic of Tatarstan is located at the centre of the Russian Federation. Tatarstan borders on the Republic of Bashkortostan, Chuvashia, Mari-El, Udmurtia and on the regions of Russia: Samara, Ulianovsk, Kirov and Orenburg. Tatarstan has no borders with foreign states. Its area is more than 67 thousand square kilometres. It is as big as Ireland, Sri-Lanka and Lithuania. The territory of the republic is a plain. It lies in a forest and forest-steppe zone with small hills on the right bank of the Volga.
The climate is continental with warm, sometimes hot summers and quite cold winters That is why agriculture is developed in Tatarstan: gardening, pig farming, bee farming, dair farming and others.
Tatarstan is a multireligious republic. More than 100 nationalities live friendly in the republic. The important national values are tolerance, consensus and compromise. Hospitality is one of the traditional features of the Republic of Tatarstan.
There are many sightseeing in Tatarstan, but all excursions begin with the Kazan Kremlin.
The Kazan Kremlin remains to this day the very heart of the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan - Kazan. The Spassky Tower serves as the official entrance to the territory of the Kremlin
The most unusual structure in the Kremlin complex is the Suyumbika Tower. It takes its name from the last queen of Kazan, Suyumbika, who, legent has it, threw herself from the top after Kazan had been taken by the Muscovite troops.
Nowadays the Kazan Kremlin symbolizes the nation’s history, its culture and traditions. In the course of many years Russian and Tatar cultures developed side by side. This can be easily seen in the Kazan Kremlin. Magnificent golden crosses of the Annunciation Cathedral harmonize with ornate minarets of Kul-Sharif Mosque.
Kazan developed under the influence of two religions – Christianity and Islam.
- The Hay Market (Sennaya) Mosque, once the main mosque of Kazan.
- The Azimov mosque, one of the most beautiful in the city.
- The Peter and Paul Cathedral built to commemorate the visit to Kazan by Emperor Peter the Great. It is used by the Orthodox Christians of the city as their main church.
The Republic of Tatarstan has a very rich artistic and cultural heritage. Kazan its capital is a large cultural centre. The cultural life in Kazan is diverse and many-sided.
This is the Tatar Academic Drama Theatre
This is the Tatar theatre of Opera and Ballet
There are 100 state museums of history, literature and arts in Tatarstan. Nowadays the Na- tional Museum of Tatarstan (the City Museum) is a historical and cultural complex. The Museum has more than 700 000 items. There are different ethnographic collections, documents of many centuries, handwritten books and papers of famous people.
Учитель (миллиардер): Our excursion is over. Thank you very much for such interesting information. I was interested in all three countries. I decided to visit all counries and I’ll divide my money in equal parts for three countries: Tatarstan, America and England.
Now our lesson is over too. I am very pleased with you. You have had hard work. All of you have an excellent marks.
Good buy.