Donetsk school № 21
British lifestyle
Prepared for the pupils of the 7 form
by Martynova N.M.
Donetsk
The theme British lifestyle
to activate pupils’ vocabulary on the topic to develop pupils’ speaking and reading skills
to develop pupils’ abilities to analyze the text and exchange the information
to develop culture of communication
to educate respect to other people’s culture, traditions and customs, tolerance, logical thinking
Equipment
Handouts with the text for reading and discussion,
pictures on the topic, the portrait of Queen Elizabeth.
Procedure of the lesson
I. The organizing moment
1. Greating
Teacher. Nice to see you, Ann.
Pupil. Nice to see you, too.
Teacher. Pleased to see you, Nelly.
Pupil. My pleasure.
Teacher. Glad to see you, Kate.
Pupil. Me too.
Teacher. How are you getting on?
Pupil. Could not be better.
Teacher. How is life?
Pupil. Life is going its usual way.
Teacher. How are you, Pete?
Pupil. Never better.
Teacher. How are you, Jane?
Pupil. Nothing to complain about.
Teacher. What’s the news?
Pupil. No news.
Teacher. No news, good news.
2. Warming up.
Teacher.
1. Are you happy getting together?
2. Why do you like getting together?
3. Do you like speaking English?
4. Is it your favourite subject?
5. Are you good at it?
6. Do you like to study English?
7. Why do you study English?
Pupils’ answers.
Pupil. Because it is the language of great Shakespeare. He enriched the English language and wrote such famous works as “Romeo and Julliet”, “Othello”, “King Lear”, “Richard and third” and others. I want to read them in the original. That’s why I learn English.
Pupil. English is the international language. Many people in different countries speak English. I’d like to visit Great Britain, Canada, Australia. But to communicate and to be understood I need to learn it.
Pupil. I want to connect my future profession with computers and work for one of the international companies. It is my dream. But to make my dream come true I have to know English perfectly.
Pupil. English is the language of international communication. I want to have friends in Great Britain, to know more about their country, their life, their problems and hobbies, their interests and work. That’s why I learn English.
Pupil. I want to read adapted English books, sing English songs, watch video in English, write e-mail letters to my foreign friends. Naturally I want to know English.
Pupil. English is the language of business, science, technology and medicine, mass media. I often use the Internet to know more about English-speaking countries. But my English is poor and I want to improve it.
II. The main part of the lesson.
1. Introducing the theme of the lesson.
Teacher. Today we are going to speak about English style of life. But before that we can’t but draw your attention to the country itself.
2. Presentation information about the country.
Pupil. First of all it is an island country which is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea in the west, the North Sea in the east and the English Channel in the South. The capital of Great Britain is London. To this great country George Byron devoted his poem “Adieu, adieu! My native shore.”
Pupil.
Adieu, adieu! My native shore.
Fades over the waters blue.
The night-winds sigh, the breakers raw
And shrieks the wild sea-mew.
The sun that sets upon the sea
We follow in his flight
Farewell awhile to his and thee
My native land – Good Night!
Pupil. Great Britain is a magical kingdom where mystery and history blend with the prosaic and the present, create the realm which is unique. It is a country with many faces, warm and welcoming or proud and defiant.
Pupil. One cannot but admire the most picturesque and charming small tows and villages of England. They have a beauty that is all their own. You find yourself in a fairy land of old houses with thatched roofs and chimneys surrounded by beautiful flowers and green trees.
Pupil. Charming Scotland is the land of mountains lost in clouds, wild narrow valleys and plains, famous locks and no end of large and small islands. It was the home of Robert Burns, who loved it and was proud of it.
Pupil.
My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here
My heart’s in the Highlands, a chasing the deer;
A chasing the wild deer and following the roe,
My heart’s in the Highlands, wherever I go.
Farewell to the mountains, high covered with snow;
Farewell to the straths and green valleys below;
Farewell to the forests and wild-handing woods;
Farewell to the torrents and loud-pouring floods.
Pupil. Wales is a lovely country with great mountains, gentle valleys, quiet lakes and rivers winding down to the coast. It’s the country of poets and singers and ancient choral music traditions.
Pupil. Do you know that:
Great Britain has 920 islands round the coast;
Over 20.000 British people are fishermen;
Great Britain gets all the oil it needs from the North Sea;
No town in Great Britain is more than 80 miles from the sea;
Great Britain is mainly a Christian country;
The national flower of England is the rose;
The national flower of Scotland is the thistle;
The national flower of Wales is the daffodil;
And the people who lived in Great Britain are English.
What are they like?
The poem “The England”
They dress in what they like
They are interested in sport
They partake in all activities
If they think they ought.
They all succeed in doing
Their job in five short days.
Which leaves them the two longest ones
To spend in different ways.
Then some indulge in gardening
Or walking in the rain
And some are fond of cricket
Or in riding in the plains.
In spite of what’s around him
The average Englishman
Does crosswords in the newspaper
In pencil if he can.
Involved in any accident
The English take a pride
In being unemotional
They take things in their stride.
In any circumstances –
Whatever they may be
The English solve their problems
With an English cup of tea.
Discussion the British lifestyle according to spidergram
[pic]
Teacher. As you see the English are a special nation. Their national character is known all over the world. The English are well-disciplined people and it is probably no exaggeration to say that they have the best manners in the world. Do you agree with me?
Pupil. There is no doubt about it. There are surely all polite, they know how to hold their knife and fork and how to behave in society. They are never rude. Everybody says about the visual coldness of Englishmen, but when you get to know Englishmen better, they turn out to be very companiable people.
Pupil. I fully agree with you. The British are really polite and well-mannered people. They use phrases such as “Please”, “Thank you”, and “Excuse me”, very often. Queuing is a national habit. At bus stops and cinemas, in shops, banks, and post-offices and in lots of other places you will have to join the quene and wait for your turn. So, everyone is expected to be polite in the way that is normal to people in Britain.
Pupil. How right that is. Moreover the English have sentimental love for things. They never throw away old things. They don’t like to do any changes in their houses, they don’t want to have central heating in spite of cold in their bedrooms, because they have fire-places.
Pupil. It needs to be said that the English are often viewed as the most boring people in the world. They wear unimaginatively formal clothes. They are conservative, reserved and cool. They are not very open. They always keeps a certain distance and don’t show their feelings and emotions. It is not very easy to make friends with them, but if once you have made a friend, it is a friend for life.
Pupil. The English are really friendly and helpful. I see what you mean, but not all people. I know exactly that the English football fans are regarded as hooligans and vandals able to tear the stadium into pieces.
Pupil. Sorry, I can’t agree with you. Football fans watch the game, they are excited, they survive, they are worried about the game, that’s why many unpleasant things happen. But this is common not only to Englishmen. But generally speaking they are well-manned.
Pupil. You are certainly right. The English people are really well-manned. Moreover they are reserved. They don’t talk in transport and smile, they try not to waste time, that’s why they are busy reading newspaper, looking through their headlines. Aptly, they like it even better than their favourite breakfast of corn flakes with milk and sugar.
Pupil. By the way, the people in Great Britain do not shake hands as much as we do in our country and in Europe. Men lift their hats to women, but not to each other. They are very kind to their wives and help them about the house. They help them clean the windows, wash up and do other job.
Pupil. In many ways it may seem very strange, but most Englishmen have a hobby. It’s collecting. They collect everything: cards, coins, labels, badges, books, pieces of furniture and what not. Such are Englishmen and their national character.
Teacher. You have just touched upon the Englishmen’s attitude to their wives. And I think it would be in place to speak about English family. They say that English family is another surprise. Why do they say so? What is English family like?
Pupil. The average British family consists of two people either married or unmarried living together without children. An ideal family for the British is a married couple with two children. But such families are only 25% in Britain.
Pupil. You know that according to statistics
36% of British families – couples without children
25% - couples with children
21% - couples with one child
17% - lone mothers
1% - lone fathers.
Teacher. And what about grandparents?
Pupil. As for grandparents they don’t normally live in the same house as their children and grandchildren. Young adults usually leave home between 18 and 25 years old when they go to university, get a job or get married.
Teacher. I want you to read the opinions about English families and the ways they spend free time. (pupils read ex. 3 p. 108). So, what are English families like?
Pupil.
They are friendly, strong, happy.
They spend much time together.
They often go to the cinema, theatre.
They spend much time together playing tennis, having hobbies, reading books, watching TV, go shopping.
At the weekend they go to the country side and have family picnics.
Teacher. I stick to your opinion and I’d like to draw your attention to the fact that on Sunday the Englishman takes his family to some seaside town to bathe and to have some fun. The English like fishing and spend hours beside rivers or lakes to catch fish. They also like to discover picturesque countryside and walk there, enjoy fresh air or sun. The countryside with its green fields, low woody hills, rivers is and ideal place for a Sunday excursion.
So, you see that as in our country the English families are quite different. And now tell me what family is at the centre of attention in Great Britain?
Pupil. The British Royal Family is always at the centre of people’s attention in Great Britain. It lives in Buckingham Palace and there are many different royal ceremonies and traditions in Britain. And of course, the most popular member of the Royal Family is the Queen who stepped the throne at the age of 25. What do you know about her?
Pupil. If my memory doesn’t fail me she was not elected, she inherited the throne after her father’s death. Her family tree begins with the King Wassex. She is the symbol of her country, her people and history. The throne is like a bridge between political and social changes, it makes these changes not so sharp. The throne gives opportunity to divide political side of the governing connected with discussion from royal which unites the both sides.
Pupil. She is a very busy person. She is the queen of the United Kingdom and 10 other monarchies that are in the British Commonwealth of Nations. Every day she spends a lot of time reading telegrams and letters concerning to the state affairs and informing her about the events in the House of Commons.
Pupil. It stands no reason. Among Queen Elizabeth’s many duties are the regular visits she makes to foreign country and especially those of the Commonwealth, whose interests and welfare are very important for her. She had done much to signify the formalities of the monarchy, including allowing the BBC to make a documentary film about the every day of Royal family. She also started the tradition of the “walkabout”, when she walks among the public crowds and stops to talk to some people.
Pupil. I am glad with you. As we can see from the above mentioned facts the Queen is really a busy person, but in spite of that she is widely known for her interest in horses and horse-racing. She is now the president of the Save the Children Fund, Chancellor of the University of London and carries out many public engagements. She lives the life of her people and they respect and love her.
Teacher. It was an interesting and useful information about the Royal family. But it would be in place here to speak about simple people and the place they live in.
Pupil. It goes without saying. The Englishman’s dislike of living in flats is very strong. They try to avoid living in blocks of flats. They say that feel cut off from the world. All those floors up. They miss the neighbourliness. They can keep a watchful eye on their children playing in the yard.
Pupil. Traditionally it is a two storey house with a lawn in front of it and a garden behind it. They say: “There is no place like home” and it is true. That’s why they are stay-at-home people and spend all their time at home.
Pupil. It is necessary to point out that a typical English house consists of two floors. Upstairs there are the bedrooms each with a wardrobe and a bathroom. There is also a study with a big bookcase in the attic. Downstairs, there is a room for guests with a shower and a toilet, a huge kitchen, a dining-room and a spacious living-room with a fire-place.
Pupil. Many houses, especially the older ones, are surrounded by hedges, which symbolize the desire of the British to protect their privacy. “My house is my castle” they say.
Teacher. When speaking about English houses it’s impossible not to touch upon one important thing – the fire-place. What is a fire-place?
Pupil. As far as I am concerned it is a place where fire is made. It is usually made of stone in the wall of the room and with a chimney which is the main feature of every roof. The fire-place is the centre of interest in the room. As you know the climate of Great Britain is wet that’s why for many months of the year people like to sit near the fire and watch the dancing flames, have a cup of tea and discuss the news of the day.
Pupil. By the way fire-place is the centre of attention on Christmas. There is tradition to hang a stocking on the fire-place. Children find Christmas presents in their stockings and that makes them happy and gay.
Pupil. Yes, you are absolutely right. The Englishmen like their house, like to sit in front of the fire-place, but I have all grounds to say that they like gardens too. They have a special love for gardens. They are obsessed with flowers. It’s a useful obsession because it doesn’t harm anyone and spend a lot of time growing flowers and looking after the lawn – a national pride.
Pupil. I see eye to eye with you. The English like to make different things grow. They grow flowers not only in gardens, but in window-boxes. They will make a garden everywhere. And if you want to please an Englishman you should be polite about his garden. It is almost as much his “castle” as his house. The English garden is internationally famous. Some of them are very beautiful, especially the big ones that are open to the public. But sometimes there is no place for garden. And then the garden in front of the house is a little square covered with cement painted green in imitation of grass and a box of flowers.
Pupil. On the one hand I agree with the fact that the English prefer to spend most of the time at home, but on the other hand I know exactly that they spend some time in another place. It’s a pub. Pub is a very popular place for people to meet. Most of them are open all day and people visit them at lunch time, in the afternoon or in the evening.
Pupil. Yes, indeed, and I’d like to admit that they are very popular both with young and old. The old can drink beer, have a talk. In many pubs there is a special room for playing pool, machine for playing music and other things to attract more visitors. As for teens they go there to chatter and have a glass of lemonade. It’s a kind of club where Englishmen can relax, listen to music, play darts or bar billiard, discuss the problems of the day and what not. But there is one thing they like to speak about it’s the weather.
Pupil. Really, we can’t imagine Great Britain and the Englishmen without speaking about the weather. British people say “Other countries have a climate, in England we have weather”. The weather in Great Britain changes very quickly, that’s why it is the topic for discussion number one.
Pupil. Really, they speak about the weather when two Englishmen are introduced to each other, when they can’t think of anything else to talk about, when they meet in the street. By the way every daily paper publishes a weather forecast.
Pupil. To many English people the word “weather” means “good weather”. But in reality the weather is different: wet, dry, hot, cold, tropical or arctic. In one word it is unsettled and the English have to carry umbrellas. The following rhyme proves it:
When the weather is wet
We must not fret
When the weather is cold
We must not scold
When the weather is warm
We must not storm
But be thankful together
Whatever the weather.
Teacher. As we have already mentioned British are a special nation and their sense of humour is special too. For example, Scotsmen don’t like spending money. They themselves invented many of the best jokes against their own people.
The English say “The Scots haven’t got a sense of humour”.
“The British” say the Americans, “”don’t have a sense of humour”.
“The Americans”, say the British, “enjoy wit, but do not understand humour”.
“Poor man”, we say, “he has no sense of humour”.
And it is really so, their humour is special, sometimes strange and unpredictable.
(pupils play jokes)
It’s necessary to point out that English have not only special sense of humour, but a special love to animals too.
Pupil. That’s really true. The English love animals greatly. They give preference to birds, cats, aquarium fish. But they are crazy about dogs. There are special shops selling food, clothes and other things for dogs.
Pupil. I can’t help saying the same. Moreover there are dog hair-dressing saloons and dog cemeteries. The English organize competitions, shows, suppers and parties for them. They do everything possible to make their animals feel well in their homes and outside their homes too.
Pupil. As for me, I can’t but draw your attention to the fact that the choice of dog is very important. The right dog helps you to have new friends, the wrong dog may surround you with enemies. The most popular choice now is the small curly poodle. By the way there is a well-known saying about dogs “Love me, love my dog”.
Pupil. I am in agreement with you. Aptly, it’s impossible not to mention that in recent times the English began to show love for more “exotic” animals, such as: crocodiles, tigers, cobras, elephants. Of course, it depends and no wonders because tastes differ.
Teacher. Speaking about the English people we can’t but admit that they like holidays which reflect their lifestyle. Can you enumerate them?
Pupil. Yes, of course. They are: Christmas, Snt. Valentine’s Day, May Day and others.
Teacher. I agree entirely. These holidays really reflect the English lifestyle and are very popular in Great Britain. What can you tell us about English holidays?
Pupil. I suppose that the most interesting holiday is Christmas day which goes on three days: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. As far as I know there are a lot of traditions connected with this holiday. Buying presents, cooking turkey, decorating Christmas Tree, going to the church, singing carols, visiting friends. Isn’t it interesting?
Pupil. By no means, but I guess that the funny New Year tradition – First Foot is more interesting. This is the first visitor to enter your house on New Year’s morning. The First Foot must be a man, not a woman, because woman is believed bad luck and sometimes curious things happen. The First Foot must carry a piece of coal, to warm the people, a piece of bread to make people not hungry, a coin as the symbol of wealth and an evergreen branch – the symbol of health.
Pupil. I have no hesitations about that but to my way of thinking the 14th of February is the best. It is not a public holiday, but a special day for people in love, especially for teens. They decorate the classrooms, buy different things in the form of the heart and what not. The boys send cards to their girlfriends, and girls send cards to their boyfriends, but the name of a person sending the card is a secret. It’s so mysterious and interesting.
Pupil. I must express some disagreement with you. I guess May Day is the best. The central figure is a May Queen. Usually she is a schoolgirl. The people are dressed in Robin Hood costumes. Different games and sports are played outdoors. A Maypole is erected. Everybody is dancing and awaiting the crowing of the May Queen.
Pupil. And I’d like to draw your attention to the holiday which is celebrated only in Great Britain. It’s Pancake Day when people make delicious pancakes. But the most surprising thing on that day is the Pancake race. Only women take part in it. They must run with a hot pancake on the frying pan and toss it at least three times. The pancakes sometimes fall down and women have to pick them up and run and toss again high into the air. It’s so funny.
Teacher. We can speak about English holidays endlessly because there are a lot of them and Englishmen like them as they provide them with new interests, new outlets for their energies and for some people a chance to rest, to relax. So, what are English people and their lifestyle like?
(pupils enumerate all features of Englishmen’s character and their lifestyle).
It is not easy to decide on the typically British characteristics. Not all English people are cold, uncommunicative or boring, not all of them are crazy about lawns or animals. Still, there is one thing that is typically British: a strong attachment to tradition and a desire to keep their country’s uniqueness. Some people say that the British live in the past, but they are simply proud of their originality.
III. Summing up.
IV. Homework: make a project “British lifestyle”
Literature
1. “The book of English Humour” Kiev, 1994
2. O. Karpenko “Focus on Great Britain” “Ранок”, 2009
3. E.R. Linder “It is interesting to know” Київ, 1986
4. V.V. Oschepkova “Britain in Brief” “Нова школа”, 1997
5. “Англійська мова та література” №32 (2008), №22-23 (2007)
6. О. Карпюк “English” 7 form Тернопіль “Астон”, 2007
7. English №12 (2001), №1 (1977)
8. Іноземні мови у школі №1 (2008)
9. “ABC Kaleidoscope” №1 (1993)
