Lesson №1. What do we know about the English?

Aims: to practice grammar, vocabulary, to revise the material, to prepare linguistically and conceptually for the following stage of the lesson, to get involved in a lesson.

Age: 12-13.

Patterns of interaction: whole class, pairs, individually, groups.

Drills Back/backward chaining

The teacher gets the students to imitate him/her to build up a sentence beginning with the last word of the sentence.
E.g.
T: reserved.
ST: reserved.
T: cold and reserved.
ST: cold and reserved.
T: always cold and reserved.
ST: always cold and reserved.
T: The English are always cold and reserved.
ST: The English are always cold and reserved.
T: Some people say the English are always cold and reserved.
ST: Some people say the English are always cold and reserved.

Inspired by music

Students listen to music extracts (usually we take English country music) and write down images they have as they listen.
E.g.
I imagine a forest and see a house in a village etc.

Inspired by words

The teacher writes some words on the blackboard. The students are to write some associations (about 5 words that come to their minds) under each. Then they read them loud.
E.g.
Character, weather, owning a house, class system, animal protection etc.

Asking for details

Students are to ask for more information about the given fact to practice vocabulary and structure.
E.g.
He is a real Englishman
S1: Was he born in England?
S2: What is his name?
S3: Does he like coffee or tea?
S4: What does he think about pets?
S5: His parents don’t live with him, do they?
Etc.

Associations with the English

Students are given a list of words and expressions. Their task is to say what words in their opinion are (are not) associated with the English. If it is possible they try to explain their choice.
E.g.
Absent-minded, ambitious, aggressive, bore, calm, decent, double-faced, friendly, punctual, reserved, taciturn etc.

Then the teacher asks the students individually to write down five qualities they think the English have and five qualities they think the English do not have.
After that they can make a description of a typical Englishman.

Spot and copy

The teacher asks the students to find in the letterbox the words on the topic English character and write them out.
E.g.

Key: unsociable, hypocritical, arrogant, taciturn, inflexible, stubborn, superior, prudent, careful, courteous, patriotic, conservative

Lesson № 2.  Quiz English Character

Try your hand at this quiz.

Aims: to practice grammar, vocabulary, to revise the material on the topic English Character

Age: 14-15

Patterns of interaction: individually

Part 1. Choose the correct answer for each question

1. The Frenchman Andre Maurois wrote: “If you do not open your mouth for three years, they (the English) will think:

a. “This Frenchman is a nice calm chap.”
b. “This Frenchman is a strange fellow”
c. “This Frenchman is not so clever.”

2. A typical Englishman prefers:

a. being active in his aggressive games.
b. to express himself freely.
c. quiet, gentle hobbies that can be enjoyed alone.

3. The English hate anyone who:

a. is not rich.
b. shows off their wealth.
c. is not from England.

4. Because English culture dominates the cultures of the other three nations of the British Isles…

a. to be the English means to be the British.
b. everyday habits, attitudes and values among the peoples of the four nations are very similar.
c. everyday habits, attitudes and values among the peoples of the four nations are not similar.

5. Many English people spend a lot of time …

a. with ‘nature’.
b. hunting large animals.
c. playing basketball.

6. Traditionally, the English have a reputation for being …

a. honest, sincere and benevolent.
b. harsh and cruel.
c. taciturn, unsociable and long-suffering.

7. The English are proud of their …

a. sense of humor.
b. knowledge of foreign languages.
c. wealth.

8. The English are …

a. prudent and careful about almost every thing.
b. very talkative.
c. short-tempered.

9. The words … are the most useful in their lexicon.

a. “Hi, “hello”.
b. “Sorry”, “please” and “thank you”.
c. “Wow”, “Don’t bother me”.

10. The English is a nation of…

a. animal lovers.
b. children lovers
c. wine lovers.

Key: 1a, 2c, 3b, 4b, 5a, 6c, 7a, 8a, 9b, 10a

Part 2. True or false? Explain your choice.

1. The English like to talk about their flag and show their patriotic feelings.
2. The English are supposed to be a nation of animal lovers but they still go fox-hunting.
3. A distinctive and important feature of an Englishman’s nature is his unpretentiousness, which results from the strict upbringing.
4. The English are not good at business.
5. As a rule, the English football fans are reserved.
6. The English retains more formalities than any other nation on earth.
7. The secret of English humour is in its simplicity.
8. The English are law-abiding.
9.  People are usually amazed by the coldness and official nature of the relations between people in England.
10. It is difficult for the Russian person to understand the English

Key: 1-F, 2-T, 3-T, 4-F, 5-F, 6-T, 7-T, 8-T, 9-T, 10-T.

Part 3. As many as you can

Students make up as many sentences as they can.
E.g.

Key: Cycling is another popular activity. Walking is also very popular. The famous English eccentricity is the cause of unusual sports. You can buy a variety of maps and guides to walking routes. Many go to the gym.

Part 4. Parallel story [5]

Students use the original text as a base and change various points of information to produce a completely different story.
E.g.
The English prefer quiet, gentle hobbies that can be enjoyed alone. For the English, a pastime is literally a nice way of passing the time. That’s why they love gardening, model building, stamp collecting. They also like being members of clubs and societies. In fact, in England there’s a club for every type of activity.
Americans... (are hard and fast when it comes to hobbies. They like to be active, and love macho activities such as car racing, hunting large animals, and shooting guns etc.)

Part 5. Gap-filling

Students are given a text, where they are to insert some linking words, expressions or even sentences to make the text look coherent.
E.g.
(see an unmown lawn, they come out, plenty to do in it, the weather in England, Mowing grass is very important, the size of, manage to do, growing, an English person, get fined )
As the 1)…is relatively mild, English people 2)…gardening almost all the year round. Sometimes this can be just doing a bit of weeding and sometimes, serious
vegetable and fruit 3) …. In fact, regardless of 4)…the garden, the English can always find 5)….6). Every Sunday morning (except for winter) 7) …to mow their lawns. To outsiders, it almost seems like an obsession but to 8)…it is an important social duty. The English 9)…, not only as a sign of laziness, but also as disrespect to others (and you can 10) …for it as well).

Key: 9) see an unmown lawn, 7) they come out, 5) plenty to do in it, 1) weather in England, 6) Mowing grass is very important, 4) the size of, 2) manage to do, 3) growing, 8) an English person, 10) get fined

Lesson № 3. Some views on the English Character

Aims: to transfer information one student possesses, the other doesn’t in order to get a complete picture of split information, to discuss some views on the English character, to practice vocabulary, to check knowledge, to use language adequately to the situation

Age: 14-15

Patterns of interaction: groups, pairs, individually, chain

Jig-saw reading

3 groups of students are given different parts of one and the same text which they are to read and then give the information to each other to restore the whole text.

New words:

Taciturn- молчаливый, неразговорчивый
Unsociable- необщительный, сдержанный
Stoicism-стоицизм
Inflexible- негибкий
Stubborn-упрямый
Haughty-надменный, высокомерный
Courteous-вежливый, учтивый
Aloofness-отчуждённость, равнодушие
E.g

The English. [3]

Traditionally, the English have a reputation for being taciturn, unsociable and long-suffering. This last quality is popularly said to have produced the characteristic English ‘stiff upper lip’, or display of stoicism or extreme patience in adversity. A
combination of these three qualities has resulted in a general picture of the English as bold and brave, yet correct and courteous. To some extent this is true, and the
coldness and aloofness associated with the English may be partly due to their insularity. Living on an island, the English have been unaccustomed to frequent and easy social contact with their neighbours in other countries.

__________________________________________________________________

This insularity is evident in the xenophobic attitude of some English people, who regard themselves as superior to foreigners. This attitude shows itself in different ways, as for example in the general reluctance of the English to learn foreign languages (subconsciously supported by the knowledge that English is widely spoken and understood in other countries), or in violent behaviour and hooliganism of some British football supporters when abroad.
__________________________________________________________________
It is also true that the insularity of the English is evident in their patriotism, which is sometimes taken to extremes. It is significant that the concept of ‘jingoism’ evolved on British soil. Expressions of national feeling range from displays of popular belligerence to the annual enthusiastic participation of the audience in the singing of patriotic songs such as ‘Rule, Britannia’ and ‘Land of Hope and Glory’.
The traditional love of the English for their home is another aspect of insularity. The sentiment is summed up in the old saying that ‘an Englishman’s home is his castle’.
__________________________________________________________________

It will be interesting and useful to discuss the text with the students asking them these questions:

1. What reputation do the English have?
2. What three qualities have resulted in a general picture of the English?
3. Do the English regard themselves as superior to foreigners?
4. Which features of English character can be explained by their insularity?
5. How do you understand the saying ‘an Englishman’s home is his castle’?

The English in quotes

Can you comment on the following quotations?  What features of national character are illustrated in them?

When two Englishmen meet, their first talk is of the weather. (Samuel Johnson, English poet, critic and lexicographer)

1. The English are great lovers of themselves and of everything belonging to them. They think that there are no other men than themselves, and no other world but England. (Italian visitor (1500)
2. If an Englishman gets run down by a truck, he apologises to the truck. (Jackie Mason, American comedian)
3. Every Englishman is convinced of one thing, that to be an Englishman is to belong to the most exclusive club there is.(Ogden Nash, American humorist)
4. There is in the Englishman a combination of qualities, a modesty, an independence, a responsibility, a repose which one would seek in vain among the Nations of the Earth. (Charles Dickens)
5. Not only England, but every Englishman is an island. (Novalis, German poet and novelist)  [4[

Bibliography

1. English /газета для тех, кто преподаёт и изучает английский язык /№4 (16-28 February) 2006, Britain and its People at a Glance. (40-41 c.).
2. Овчинников В. Сакура и дуб: Ветка сакуры. Корни дуба. М.: АСТ, 2006.-570 с.
3. Колыхалова О. А., Махмурян К.С. Соnversational English. Describing people. – М.: Гном и Д, 2006.- 145 с.
4. Speak Out  /magazine/ 2/2005. Everyday life in Britain. (9 c.), 1/ 2004. British Superstitions. (6 c.), 3/2005. Club Culture in Britain. (9-11 c.), What are the British like?- М.: Глосса-пресс, 2005.-64с., 4/2005. London calling. (2-5 c. ), 6/2006. Icons of England. (6-9 c.), Are Britain’s teenagers the worst in Europe? (12-15 c.), 4/2004. Land of traditions. (4-7 c.), Digest for English Learners №6, March, 2006. Irish Jokes (13 p.)
5. Digest for English Learners №24, December, 2005. My bit of Britain.(6-7 p.)