The country we live in

Цели и задачи:

1. развитие способности к анализу, обобщению, к сравнению и сопоставлению речевых единиц, развитие познавательного интереса учащихся;
2. формирование потребности и способности к сотрудничеству и взаимопомощи при работе в паре и группе;
3. воспитание чувства гордости за свою страну.

Stages

I. Introduction

(на протяжении всего урока идет презентация)

Teacher: Dear boys and girls! I am very glad to see you at our lesson today because we have an unusual lesson – a competition. There are two teams at the lesson: ……. team and ……… team. They will show us their knowledge of the Russian Federation because our lesson is devoted to this country. We’ll speak about the sights, the capital of the country some politicians and writers and interesting facts. We’ll have several tasks at the lesson. Some of them were prepared by your classmates. I hope our competition will be fun. I have lots of red and blue stars here. For a right answer you will get a star. At the end of the competition you’ll count all the stars you’ve received. The winner will be the team with the biggest number of the stars. Let’s start our lesson.

II. Warm-up activities

1. Do you know what the state coat of arms? (the two-headed eagle)

The first task is to collect the picture of the state coat of arms.

III. Interpretation and presentation

2. And now let’s listen the dialogue about the Russian Federation.

– What area does the Russian Federation occupy?

– It occupies the area of some 17,000,000 square kilometres.

– What oceans is the country washed by?

– The country is washed by the Pacific Ocean, the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.

– What countries does the state border on by sea and by land?

– Russia has a land border with China, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan in the south, Norway, Finland, the Baltic States (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia), Poland, Byelorussia and the Ukraine ii the west. Russia has a sea-border with the USA and Japan.

– What is the most important river of Russia?

– The Volga is the longest and the most important river of Russia. It flows into the Caspian Sea. Many rich and important industrial cities stand on the Volga.

– What resources is Russia rich in?

– Russia is rich in gas, oil, coal, non-ferrous metals such as aluminium, nickel and lead, in iron ores. Russia is also rich in natural resources such as timber, fish and fresh water.

– What kind of state is Russia?

– Russia now is a parliamentary republic.

– What is the political structure of the country?

– There are three branches of power - the legislative branch, the executive branch and the juridical branch.

– Are there many political parties in Russia?

– Yes, there are. We have many parties. That helps democracy. Everyone can find a party to his/her taste or organise his own party.

– What are the national symbols of Russia?

– The flag has three equal stripes – white, blue and red. The state anthem is “The Anthem of Russia” by Mikhalkov. The state coat of arms represents the two-headed eagle.

– How can you characterize the climate of our Motherland?

– The country lies in several different zones that’s why there are several types of climate, including the monsoon climate of the Far East, the continental climate of Siberia and the subtropical climate of the south.

– What are the main industries of Russia?

– Oil, gas and coal extracting industries are developing now. The food industry supplies the population with food and drinks in abundance. The machine-building industry produces modern machinery.

– What can you say about Russian culture?

– Russian culture is famous for its masterpieces. Nowadays composers, dancers and artists continue the traditions of their ancestors.

– Is Russian school system different from that of the USA and Great Britain?

– Yes, it is different. The main differences are the age of entering the school, the national curriculum, the number of years spent at school and the way of getting higher education.

3. And now choose the right answer.

1. The official name of our homeland is …
   a) Russia;
   b) the Russian Federation;
   c) the Republic of the Russian Federation.

2. There are … republics and 68 other regions in the Russian Federation.
   a) 21;
   b) 12;
   c) 17.

3. The National Government of Russia consists of ...
   a) the President and the Prime Minister;
   b) the President and the Council of Ministers;
   c) the President, the Council of Ministers and the Federal Assembly.

4. There are … Houses in the Federal Assembly.
   a) two;
   b) three;
   c) four.

5. The lower House of the Federal Assembly is …
   a) the State Duma;
   b) the Council of Ministers;
   c) the Federal Council.

6. The population of Russia is about
   a) 148 000 000;
   b) 48000000;
   c) 548 000 000.

7. The Head of the Republic of the Russian Federation is …
   a) the President;
   b) the Prime Minister;
   c) the Speaker of the State Duma.

8. The original name of the city founded on the Neva banks by Peter the Great was …
   a) Petrograd;
   b) St Petersburg;
   c) Leningrad.

9. The five ancient Russian towns which are known as Zolotoe Koitso (the Golden Ring) include Rostov Veliky, Suzdal, Vladimir, Zvenigorod and …
   a) Tver;
   b) Smolensk;
   c) Yaroslavl.

10. Russia is a land of over ... nationalities.
    a) 10;
    b) 100;
    c) 1000.
    

4. What is the capital of the Russian Federation? (Moscow)

Did anybody visit Moscow?

But Kira was in Moscow more than 5 times, and we asked her to tell us something interesting. Kira, what can you say about the Red Square?

The Red Square is the heart of Moscow. It was formed in the 15th century and named “the Red Square” because of its beauty (at that time “red” meant “beautiful”). Since the 16th century it has been used for parades and ceremonies. The Cathedral of Basil the Blessed was erected in the 16th century and since then has been a jewel of Russian architecture. The monument to Minin and Pozharsky was opened in 1818, right after the reconstruction of the Red Square after the Fire of 1812. In the 19th century the building of the Historical Museum was constructed. During 1924-1930 the Lenin’s Mausoleum was being built near the Kremlin wall. The Red Square is the point from which all distances in Russia are measured. It is also the place for official ceremonies and parades. Also you can see the Cathedrals of Assumption, of Annunciation, of Archangels, of Twelve Apostles. There are Oruzheynaya Palata, the Granovitaya Palata and others.

The Kremlin and St Basil's Cathedral (Vasily Blazheny) are masterpieces of ancient Russian architecture. The main Kremlin tower, the Spasskaya Tower, has become the symbol of the country. On the territory of the Kremlin you can see old cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the Tzar-Cannon and the Tzar-Bell, the biggest cannon and bell in the world. St.Basil's Cathedral was built in the mid-16th century in memory of the victory over Kazan. There's a legend that Ivan the Terrible blinded the architects Barma and Postnik, because he didn't want them to create another masterpiece.

5. Choose the names from sightseeings of Moscow the names which you can find in the Red Square. (appendix 1)

1. The Cathedral of Basil the Blessed
2. The monument to Minin and Pozharsky
3. the Lenin’s Mausoleum
4. the Historical Museum
5. the Cathedral of Assumption
6. the Cathedral of Annunciation
7. the Cathedral of Archangels
8. Oruzheynaya Palata
9. the Granovitaya Palata
10. the Spasskaya Tower
11. the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great
12. the Tzar-Cannon
13. the Tzar-Bell

6. And now you see a puzzle, you are to answer the questions up to the end and guess the key-word.

1. The president of Russia;
2. A largest river in Siberia;
3. One of the cities in Russia;
4. The highest peak
5. The name of our country;
6. The symbol of our country;
7. The world’s deepest lake;
8. A mountain chain;
9. A famous Russian artist;
10. Russian composer.

7. You remember that many years ago St. Petersburg was the capital of Russia and that’s why we are to know as much about this city as we can. Let’s check your knowledge about St. Petersburg.

1. Peter the Great founded St Petersburg in 1703. How old was the city when it became Russia’s capital?
   a) 9;
   b) 19;
   c) 29.

2. The Bronze Horseman was created by
   a) Montferrand;
   b) Falconel;
   c) Trezzini.

3. The Winter Palace was built for Empress Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great. However, she never lived there because…..
   a) she didn’t like it;
   b) she quarrelled with the arehitect, Bartolomeo Rastrelli;
   c) she had died by the time it was completed.

4. The Hermitage has the largest collection of pictures in the world. How many buildings does it occupy?
   a) 6;
   b) 4;
   c) 2.

5. The tallest building in St Petersburg is
   a) St Isaac’s Cathedral;
   b) Peter and Paul’s Cathedral;
   c) the Admiralty.

6. How long did it take Auguste Moniferrand to build St Isaac’s Cathedral?
   a) 4 years;
   b) 24 years;
   c) 40 years.

7. Who is buried in Kazansky Cathedral (The Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan)?
   a) Kutuzov;
   b) Suvorov;
   c) Napoleon.

8. This church was built on the spot where one of the Russian tsars was assassinated. A group of revolutionaries threw a bomb under his carriage and the tsar was badly wounded, The name of the tsar was
   a) Alexander I;
   b) Alexander II;
   c) Alexander III.

9. This palace had lots of levels, secret passages and rooms because its owner was afraid of plots. Nothing helped, however, and he was murdered. His name was
   a) Peter III;
   b) Paul I;
   c) Nicholas II.

10. Like the Tretvakov Gallery in Moscow, the Russian Museum contains one of the finest collections of Russian art in the world. This beautiful building was designed by
    a) Rossi;
    b) Rastrelli;
    c) Voronikliin.

8. And now let’s check your knowledge about the history of the Russian Federation.

Match these important dates with the events.

9. Do you know who the president of the Russian Federation is? (Vladimir Putin)

But who was the Russian leaders during its history?

Match the names, dates and information about Russian leaders. (appendix 2)

Keys

Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924)

• Russian revolutionary
• Main leader and force behind the 1917 Revolution
• Founder of Leninism, a variation of Marxism
• First head of the Soviet Union

Joseph Stalin (1879-1953)

• One of the first editors of Pravda (the official Communist party newspaper)
• General Secretary of Communist Party after Lenin’s death
• Established the Soviet Union as a modern economic and military power that repelled Hitler’s forces in World War II
• Notorious for ‘The Great Purge’ - a campaign of political persecution that executed millions of his opponents (real or perceived)
• Established Soviet Union as one of the world’s two superpowers

Mikhail Gorbachev (1931)

• introduced economic reforms known as perestroika (restructuring) and an era of openness (glasnost)
• instrumental in ending the Cold War and, ultimately, Russian Communism
• Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990

 Boris Yeltsin (1931-2007)

• Served as first President of Russian Federation (1991-1999)
• Banned Communist party
• Privatised former state enterprises in free-market economic reforms
• Invaded Chechnya, a republic seeking independence from Moscow
• Russians “remember the years when he was President in the 1990s as years of near-anarchy and instability.”
  

Vladimir Putin (1952)

• Former KGB’ agent
• Economic achievements include the strongest prosperity Russia has ever known. Personal income and pensions have risen 10 per cent each year; Russia has paid off all its debts in full. Putin’s approval rating is 81%.
• Accused by critics of turning Russia into an oligarchy (a country ruled by an elite few) and of filling his cabinet and government posts with former KGB colleagues.
• Accused of suppressing free speech and a critical media. Since his election, fourteen journalists have died “in suspicious circumstances.” a Some Western critics question any possible link to the murder of enemies, like ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko in London last summer.

10. Make sure that you know the Russian national holidays and festivals, that’s why let’s match the names of the holidays and the dates and their descriptions.

Well, I see that you know a lot of information about Russia. And let’s count the result of our competition.

The winner is … (you are equal)