Environmental Learning at the English Lessons
The area of my professional interest is connected with mastering of speaking skills on environmental problems.
Modern life demands every school graduate to be able to identify, explore and take action on real problems and issues.
Moreover over the past few years, recognition of the urgency of environmental problems has caused a quantum leap in the attention paid to “green” issues. With increasing frequency, the environment is turning up as the subject of newspaper and magazine articles, radio and television news reports, documentaries and feature films. This concern is reflected in schools around the world, where teachers of all subjects and at all grade levels are using the environmental theme as a means of linking the classroom to the world.
My project presents a rationale for incorporating environmental topics into language teaching and gives some activities that teachers can use to integrate the study of the environment into language lessons.
It can help to fulfill the following goals:
- To empower students individually and as members of cooperative learning groups to contribute to the understanding and solution of local environmental problems that have global consequences.
- To enable students to communicate with each other in a real situation.
- To help students develop the knowledge, skills and affective qualities to take responsible citizenship action on environmental problems and issues.
Environmental topics provide a useful framework for integrating language skills.
Environment themes in students’ books present numerous opportunities for project work and other activities that integrate the four skills. For example, students working in teams to do a “mini-research” project on countries with environmental problems get to practice reading, note-taking, speaking, listening, and written composition.
Activity 1
MINI-RESEARCH
Theme “HOW DIFFERENT the WORLD IS!’’
Aims:
- to increase awareness of the nature and extent of environmental problems around the world
- to practice reading, note-taking, speaking, listening, and written composition
Preparation :
- Prepare and duplicate a chart listing the names of 4-6 countries with environmental problems, as in the sample shown here. (The task is meaningful to students because the name of their country is included.) Make enough copies of the chart to give one to each student.
- Assemble a selection of magazine/newspaper articles, books, world atlases, etc. that provide enough relevant information for the activity.
Procedure
- Divide the class into pairs and assign each pair one of the countries.
- Show the books, magazines, etc., to the students and explain the task. They are to work together in pairs, using the reference materials to find out the information they need to fill in the required information about their assigned country.
- Pairs work together, filling in the appropriative boxes on the chart.
- Students take turns reporting their “research findings” to the class. While listening, the class attempts to complete the chart with the necessary information. (Encourage students to ask for repetition and clarification if necessary.)
- Conduct a whole-class discussion centering on the following questions:
- Which countries have similar environmental problems?
- Which countries have the same environmental problems as your country?
- What do all off the countries have in common (Приложение 1)
Homework
As a homework assignment, students can be asked to write a paragraph or two about each country, along with a summary sentence describing what all the countries have in common.
Activity 2
CONDUCT A POLL
Theme” ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT NATURE?”
Task: “Choose the problems you are very concerned about.”
Aims:
- to increase awareness of one’s own and other students’ attitudes toward specific environmental problems
- to practice listening, speaking, writing, mutual decision-making, and summarizing
Preparation:
No special preparation is needed.
Procedure:
- Divide the class into pairs.
- Tell the students that they are going to have the opportunity to find out their classmates’ attitudes toward a specific environmental problem of their own choosing. Explain that they are to work together with their partners, selecting an environmental topic that interest them, and framing a yes/no question that they can use to interview other people in the class. To help the groups get started, you may wish to write one or two examples on the board.
Sample questions:
- Are you worried that trees are cut down? Why? Or Why not?
- Are you very concerned about air pollution? Why?
- Are you afraid of dangerous gases? Why?
- Are you concerned about the problem of water, air, land pollution? Why or why not?
- Do people damage the balance in nature? How?
- Are you concerned that people throw the litter away?
- Do people damage the wildlife nature? Etc.
- As the pairs work together, circulate among them and provide help as needed.
- When the pairs have finished writing their questions, ask them to move around the classroom and use their question to interview 8-10 other students. Explain that they should work together with their partner, keeping a record of students’ responses and noting down any interesting comments they make.
- Pairs walk around the room, interviewing other students and making a record of the responses.
- When the students have finished all their interviews, have them write a one-page report, summarizing their findings. Remind them to include any interesting comments made by the students they interviewed. (Reports can be done in class or a homework assignment.)
Environmental topics motivate learners
Environmental topics such as rain forest destruction and endangered animals are not only real, but they are of considerable interest and relevance to students.
Learners of all ages, and children in particular, are fascinated by the problems these topics presents.
ACTIVITY 3
WHAT DO YOU ALREADY KNOW ABOUT…?
Theme” ANIMALS ARE in DANGER.”
Aims:
- to introduce and increase awareness of an environmental topic
- to provide an opportunity for students to evaluate their own prior knowledge of the topic
- to practice reading
- to stimulate discussion
Preparation:
Prepare an 8-10 item true-false or multiple-choice quiz on an environmental topic (see the sample quiz below).
Make enough copies of the quiz one to each pair of students (or write the quiz on the board or on an overhead transparency ).
Procedure:
- Divide the class into pairs and distribute the quiz. Give one copy to each pair of students.
- Explain to the students that they are going to take a quiz to find out what they already know about the topic. Tell them that they will not be graded on the quiz. The purpose of the quiz is merely to let them find out for themselves what they already know about the subject.
- Make sure that the students understand the questions.
- Students work in pairs, discussing the questions and marking their answers.
After the pair work, volunteers take turns reporting their answers to the class. As volunteers report, write their answers on the board. If any students disagree, ask them to report their answer to the question at hand. Do not indicate at this stage whether the students’ answers are right or wrong.
- After students have reported their answers, read off the correct answers to the class.
- Lead a whole-class discussion centering on the following questions:
- Did any of the answers surprise you?
- What did you learn from this quiz?
- What else would you like to know about the topic” Animals are in danger.”?
Follow-Up
As a follow-up, students can work in pairs or small groups, drawing up a list of questions they have about the topic. These questions can form the basis for project work. (Приложение 2)
ACTIVITY 4
WHICH SPECIES WILL YOU SAVE?
Aims:
- to explore personal values and feelings about endangered species
- to discuss why some people value some forms of life more than others
- to increase awareness of the ecological importance of all plants and animals
- to practice group decision-making skills, reporting, and writing
Preparation:
- Prepare and duplicate enough copies of the worksheet below to give one to each student.
- Familiarize yourself in a general way each of the species on the worksheet. For example, be able to explain to the students that a whooping crane is a 5-foot (1.5m) tall bird with black and white feathers and a loud, high-pitched call.
Procedure:
- Divide the class into groups and give each student a copy of worksheet.
Go over the directions on the worksheet with the students and answer any questions they have about the species.
- Students work in groups, ranking the plants and animals in the order in which they think they should be saved.
- Groups take turns reporting their rankings to the class.
Tally up the results on the board.
- Conduct a whole-class discussion centering on the following questions:
- Which forms of life do you think it’s more important to save, endangered plants or endangered animals? Why?
- On what basis did you decide your ranking? Usefulness to humans? Beauty? Size? Species that live in your country?
- Why are some people more interested in saving mammals and birds than they are in saving “lower” plants and animals?
- Why are most people more interested in saving larger, more beautiful animals than smaller, less beautiful ones?
WORKSHEET
WHICH SPECIES WILL YOU SAVE?
Work in groups. You are members of a team that is working to save the 10 endangered species below. However, you have only enough money and materials to work with one species at a time. Look over the list carefully and then number the plans and animals in the order in which you will try to save them, from 1 (the most important species to save) to 10( the least important species). Try to reach agreement on the order in which the species should be saved.
- whooping crane
- green pitcher plant
- Indian python
- humpback whale –snow leopard
- beach mouse
- giant panda
- gray bat
- Philippine eagle
- birdwing butterfly
REMARKS. In addition to the fact that smaller and not-so-glamorous forms of life are just as important as larger, more attractive species, an important point to bring out in the whole-class discussion of this activity is the importance of plant, i. e., that all living things depend on plants for food, shelter, and many other products.
Homework: MINI-SURVEY.
As a homework assignment, ask each student to interview four or five people. They should ask each person to name five endangered species. Have the students summarize their findings in a brief written report and be prepared to read their report to the class. After the reports have been read, follow up with a whole-class discussion of ways to educate people about the importance of all species.
Sample student’s report is given in Appendix 1.
A wide range of possibilities for introducing the study of the environment into language teaching
Some activities focus on acquiring and developing the necessary skills to identify and solve environmental problems. These include communication skills, cooperative problem solving, critical and creative thinking, and informed decision-making — all of which are directly related to language teaching.
ACTIVITY 5
MY NEIGHBORHOOD, MY ENVIRONMENT
Theme” What Happens in Your Home Town?”
Aims:
- to increase awareness of the functions that a neighborhood serves
- to increase awareness of the positive and negative effects that people can have on a neighborhood
- to practice note-taking, listening, taking dictation, and discussion
- to practice nsing descriptive language
Preparation:
Prepare enough copies of the worksheet to give one to each student (or draw it on the board for students to copy). Students will also need surfaces to write on while they are outdoors. If note-books are not available, assemble enough pieces of cardboard to give one to each student.
Procedure:
Ask the class to name all the places they might find in a neighborhood. As students call out their answers, list them on the board under the following four headings:
Work places living places recreation spaces wildlife spaces
- Divide the class into teams of four and distribute the worksheet.
- Explain the task to the students. They are going to take a walking tour of the school neighborhood. Each student in a group will be responsible for recording information about one type of place in the neighborhood.
- Review the items on the task sheet to make sure that all the students understand them.
- Take the students on a walking tour of the neighborhood. Groups stay together and share their observations and reactions.
- When you return to the classroom, dictate the following questions to the class:
- What things make some living spaces more attractive?
- How could living spaces in the neighborhood be improved?
- How do work spaces improve the neighborhood?
- What negative effects do they have?
- How could work spaces in the neighborhood be improved?
- Are there enough spaces for wildlife?
- How can we help wild animals survive in the neighborhood?
- Are there enough recreation spaces in the neighborhood?
- If not, what can we do to create more?
- What can you do to improve the neighborhood?
- Students discuss the questions in their groups.
- Conduct a whole-class discussion of the questions. (Приложение 3)
Follow-Up
As a follow-up, students can write letters to local officials, owners of work places, etc., giving their suggestions for improving the neighborhood environment.
Environmental topics encourage interaction
Environmental issues engage the minds and feelings of learners and encourage real language use. Students are stimulated to discuss the topics, brainstorms solutions, and share their reactions with other students and the teacher.
ACTIVITY 6
ENVIRONMENTAL QUOTES
Theme “Are You in Charge of the Planet?”
Aims:
- to encourage critical thinking about an environmental topic
- to explore one’s own values vis-a-vis the environment
- to provide an opportunity for personal expression
- to practice paraphrasing, discussion, and written composition
Preparation:
- select an appropriate quotation for the students to react to. Here are some possibilities:
- To hurt the Earth is to hurt yourself.
- The Earth is our environment.
- If we are not worried about the Earth, some ecological problems appear.
- Nature is the source of people’s life.
- Environmental protection concerns everyone.
- The protection of Nature means the protection of our Motherland. Etc.
Procedure:
- Write the quotation on the board, but avoid revealing your personal feelings about the quotation.
- Divide the class into small groups and ask them to discuss the following questions (dictate the questions or write them on the board):
- How would you express the quotation in your own words?
- Do you agree with the quotation? Why or why not?
- Allow 10-15 minutes for the small-group discussions.
- Ask for volunteers to report the results of their group’s discussion to the class.
Follow-Up
As a follow-up or homework assignment, ask the students to write a one- or two-page reaction to the quotation. You may wish to provide them with the following questions as a starting point:
- What does the quotation mean to you personally?
- How does the quotation relate to your own experience?
- Does the quotation relate to anything you have read?