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What is the weather like?

Santiago

INDEX

1. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………..2

2. DIDACTIC OBJECTIVES AND COMPETENCES…………………………………….2

3. CONTENTS………………………………………………………………………………………4

4. ACTIVITIES ………………………..……………………………………………………………6

5. MATERIAL & RESOURCES…………………..……………………………………………15

6. METHODOLOGY……………………………………………………………………………..16

7. ATTENTION TO DIVERSITY…………………………………………………………..19

8. EVALUATION………………………………………………………………………………19

9. BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………………..20

1. INTRODUCTION

Topic

UNIT 5 – What is the weather like? (second three-month)

Course

3rd E.S.O

Secondary school context

I.E.S Cervantes , Móstoles, Comunidad de Madrid

The high school is located in a city in the south of Madrid. This part of the city has a lot of new installations where teenagers can practice a lot of sports. Also they have access to a public library with a lot of computers when they can surf in the Internet, and where they can read books and look for some kind of information.

Students

There are 25 people in the group. There is not any student with ACNEE, but there is a big different of level, in English of course, so we have to take into account.

Level

Maybe an A2 in the CEFR, but some students have a lower level.

2. DIDACTIC OBJECTIVES AND COMPETENCES

The principle aim of this didactic unit is to achieve some specific concepts that students have to relate with other concepts acquired before. We can divide the specific objectives in four:

Communicative

Conceptual

Procedimental

Attitudinal

1. To do a project work in groups in an autonomous way

2.To create and performance dialogues or real situations

3. To write an email in a correct way

1. To use the grammar concepts in real situation in a correct way : Future Simple and First Conditional

2. To express ideas or plan in a future

3.To use terms related with weather

1. To write an email

2. To fill-in-blanks

3. To write and create dialogues

4. To comprehend readings and be able to answer different questions related wit that

5. To be able to use ITCs in class

1. To create a good environment in class

2. To participate in the different activities proposed

3.To be motivated

4. To be tolerant with work in groups

5. To interact in English with the others

In the Real Decree 1631/2006, 29th December, we can find the eight basic competences of Secondary schools for all the subjects. In this case, we are going to introduce just some of them:

1. Competency of linguistic communication: Communication is very important nowadays, some time ago, accuracy was the most important part, but the core of all languages is communication, so we are going to focus in communicative aspects.

2. The competency of knowledge and interaction with the society: We want to promote the performance of real context in order to improve the communication and the interaction between students.

3. Information and digital competency: Of course, ITCs are very important nowadays, for that reason we are going to include some activities with computers.

4. Social and civic competency: With activities in groups we want to promote the respect and the empathy, they will work together in order to achieve an objective.

5. Artistic and cultural competency: They will read a text about a weather report, and then, they will draw a map, and they will perform a weather report in pairs.

6. Competency of learning to learn: They will have a Portfolio where they will add all their redactions and works with a feedback, in order to know what their weakness and strengths are.

7. Personal initiative and autonomy: They will learn for themselves with ICTs activities, and then they will explain their own conclusion to the rest of the class.

We have not included the “Mathematical competence” because we do not have to include all the competences in a unit.

3. CONTENTS

The contents of this didactic unit are from the four contents proposed by the Real Decree 1631/2006 where we can find the minimum competences of secondary education.

Block 1:

Oral competency: listening, speaking and talking

· Vocabulary of weather

· To be able to perform a report

  • Oral production on descriptions, narrations and short explanations about events, experiences and some knowledge
  • Listening and comprehension about easy and simple messages found on mass media, pronounced slowly and clearly
  • Autonomous learning developed by the student for a later use in real interactions

Block 2:

Written competency:

reading and writing

· To talk about plans in future with conditional and future with will

· Extraction of the general ideas of a text

· Vocabulary related with the weather

  • Personal Communications with the target language speakers through letters or e-mails
  • Use of the basic rules of spelling and punctuation, as well as recognition of their importance in the written communication, interests in taking care of the presentation of the written texts in paper and digital formats
  • Identification of the content of a written text supported by verbal and non-verbal elements.
  • Initiative to read, with certain autonomy, suitable texts for their age, interests and competence level
  • Adequate use of orthography rules and the different punctuation signs
  • Composition of short texts with basic elements of cohesion

Block 3:

Knowledge of the language

· Future simple and first conditional

· Relationship between grammar rules and the real use of the language

  • Active participation in group exercises and works
  • Progressive use of learning resources, such as: dictionaries, reference books, libraries or ICTs. Guided reflection on the use and meaning of proper grammatical forms with different communicative intentions.
  • Reflection on the learning process: applications of basic strategies to organize, acquire, remember and use lexicon.
  • Organization of the personal work as a strategy to progress in the learning process. Interest in taking advantage of the learning opportunities created in and outside the context of the classroom.

Block 4:

Socio-cultural aspects and intercultural consciousness

· Awareness of the importance of English nowadays

· Importance of weather and natural disasters

· Knowledge of different disasters that have happened recently, such as the earthquake of Japan.

  • Recognition and valuation of the foreign language as a communicative instrument either in and outside the classroom, or with people from other cultures.
  • Interest and initiative when taking part in communicative exchanges with speakers or foreign language learners, using paper or digital means.
  • Awareness of the personal enrichment represented by the relationship with people coming from other cultures.

4. ACTIVITIES

Session

Activity

Timing

SESSION

1

Introduction with questions

First of all we are going to introduce the topic with questions:

  • What is the weather like today?
  • What is the weather like in the south of Africa?
  • What is the weather like in Alaska?

OBJECTIVE: To introduce the topic. All will be able to participate, because they are open questions.

5-10 min.

VOCABULARY – Link the Flashcards

Then, we will divide the class in groups of 5 people, and we will give them different flashcards and different definitions, and they will have to try link the flashcard with the definition.

OBJECTIVE: To introduce humour in class and motivation. Also, students will learn the different vocabulary of weather and the definition.

15 min.

VOCABULARY , LEXIS – Go fish

We have to divide the class in groups of 4-6 pupils. The aim of the game is to find card couples. One pupil from each group has to deal the cards, 3 for each player. And now, the game begins, and the rules are:

  • The player mustn’t show his/her cards to the rest of players.
  • They have to ask his partner of the right for a card. For example, if I have sunny´s day card, I have to ask for the other sunny´s day card. We are going to use the next structure to make questions to the partner: “What is the weather like? It´s a sunny day!”
  • If the partner has the card, he/she has to give it to the player that has asked for it.
  • Of course, all the cards are related with weather.
  • They have to form pairs with the cards.
  • The first one who hasn’t got any card will be the winner.

OBJECTIVE: The principle aim is to encourage our students to use the language, even if they are playing a game, they will use a structure related with the topic, and they will use the vocabulary that they have already learnt.

25-30 min.

SESSION

2

GRAMMAR – First conditional and future simple explanation

Activities related with grammar, like fill-in-blanks, or make sentences with first conditional.

OBJECTIVE: To provide the students some grammar, in order to make sentences and use it in real contexts.

15 min.

READING (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12806874)

With this activity, pupils have to learn a new, adapted to this BBC new, about the earthquake and the tsunami in Japan, and its relationship with the tsunami in Sri Lanka. Then, they will have to do some comprehension activities, fill-in-blanks, and they will discuss in a final debate:

  • What will you do if you see a tsunami?

OBJECTIVE: They have to be able to read and comprehend the text, in order to answer some questions, and do a final debate, promoting the communication and the interaction in class.

20 min.

VOCABULARY review- WORDWHEEL

In order to review some vocabulary, we are going to play a game in the latest minutes of the class; we are going to give them a definition of some concepts related with the weather, and they have to say the accurate word.

We will divide he class in two groups, and they will compete. The group that has more words right will be the winner of the contest.

OBJECTIVE: Review of vocabulary and motivation.

15 min.

SESSION

3

LISTENING- Weather report (http://www.englishclub.com/speaking/weather-report.htm) listening.

They will ask some questions about the listening.

OBJECTIVE: To promote the oral comprehension

20 min.

SPEAKING- Role play

In this activity, pupils have to work in pairs. And they will have to create a presentation of a weather report, based in the listening before. With the vocabulary and the grammar that they have already learnt, they have to talk to the rest of the class about the weather of a city for the next day. They will draw a map of some English Speaking Country and the different weathers of the cities.

OBJECTIVE: Speaking production and interaction

30 min.

SESSION

4

READING- An email of future plans

  • Questions of the email
  • Looking for the structure

OBJECTIVE: Reading comprehension

20 min.

WRITING

  • Using the example of the email, they will have to write an email to a friend that lives in London. They will use the future with will, and the first conditional, in order to talk about plan of this next summer.

OBJECTIVE: Writing production

20 min.

PORTFOLIO

  • They will add to the portfolio all the activities that we have done in this didactic unit, with a feedback, in order to keep all the material that they have done that make them realize what their weakness and strengths are.

OBJECTIVE: Autonomous learning

10 min.

SESSION

5

READING AND WRITING- Websearch

  • The Websearch is related to the topic, it has questions with different links where students have to do a search. The Websearch has different parts, each part is anatural disaster, and they have to look for the different questions proposed.
  • Pupils will be divided in groups of 4, and they will have to look for the different questions of their part that will be assigned to them.

OBJECTIVE: With this activity we want to reduce the Digital Divide that is the difference between the people who know how to use the ICTs and the ones who do not. Thus, pupils are going to work with a Websearch that we have designed for them, in order to promote participation and motivation. Also, they will use the ICTs in English, and they will review vocabulary and grammar that they should know.

50 min.

 

SESSION

6

SPEAKING AND LISTENING- Websearch Presentation

After answering their part in the Websearch, they will work on a presentation for the next day about what they have learnt about the famous person.

OBJECTIVE: With this activity we promote oral production and communication. Of course, all groups have to listen to the other ones, so it is a very interesting activity.

50 min.

WEBSEARCH

ICTs are a very important part of the learning nowadays, for that reason, we are going to explain this activity in a more exhaustive way. The Websearch is called “Natural disasters” and it is an activity that will be development in two sessions where learners will use their knowledge of English in order to understand and explain how natural disasters occur, while they learn and acquire new vocabulary related to the topic.

In the fifth session of the didactic unit, students will be divided in groups of 4-5 and the activity will take place in the computers room. There they will have to look for the information to answer the different questions of the part that will be assigned to them and make a powerpoint presentation which they will use to explain their part to the rest of the students.

The Websearch is related to the topic, it has questions with different links where students have to do a search. It has different parts, each of them dealing with a different phenomenon, and they have to look for the different questions proposed. The websearch has 6 different parts, one for group, which are:

In the sixth session of this didactic unit, students will explain what they have found in the web search about the natural disaster assigned to them, by means of a powerpoint presentation. They should take into account the most important concepts about the natural disaster, and they will be expected to have prepared it at home, which means that they should know not just what they are talking about, but they should also check the meaning and pronunciation of difficult or new words.

The principal aims of this activity are:

Also, students will develop the four skills:

The group has got 25 pupils, and they will be divided in 6 groups of 4-5 persons. The different members of a group will have to stay in contiguous computers, in order to do the activity together. Each group will search things about a particular natural disaster. The main page of the Websearch looks like this:

This is the INDEX where they can choose the natural disaster that has been assigned to them. The 6 parts that we have already mentioned are tsunami, avalanches, twisters/tornadoes, solar flares, earthquakes and volcanic eruption. They have the instructions too, so they can press the natural disaster and start working. The different groups will work with different concepts:

GROUP 1

They will search information about tsunamis; they will have to look for that in two websites and then, they will write the answers with their own words by using different grammatical structures, such as modals. Then, they will have to write five lines about the phenomenon, in order to increase their writing production. In the presentation, the will have to include, at least:

GROUP 2

This group will look for information about avalanches. They will check three different websites and they will write five lines about the phenomenon too. They will explain in their powerpoint the next concepts:

GROUP 3

This group will have to find information about twisters. For this, they will check three different websites that they have to read in order to answer the questions proposed. And in the presentation they will include the following points:

GROUP 4

This group has to investigate the Solar Flares. They have to check three websites where they will find all the information required. In the presentation they should talk about:

GROUP 5

The group 5 has to look for characteristics of earthquakes. They have to read three different sites to look for the answers. The presentation has to include:

GROUP 6

This group has to investigate volcanic eruptions. They have three websites with a lot of information that they have to read, and they have to look for the most important parts. In the powerpoint they have to include:

The questions are very easy, and they will introduce concepts from this unit, and other units that we have seen before. So they have to link different concepts, structures, etc. in order to create a good presentation.

5. MATERIAL & RESOURCES

Session

Resources

1

· Flashcards

2
  • Blackboard
  • Notebook
  • Sheets with the reading of BBC NEWS
  • Computer and projector in order to play to WORDWHEEL

3
  • Atlas
  • Cardboards
  • Markers
  • CD-player
  • CD

4
  • Reading sheet
  • Portfolio
  • Notebook

5
  • Computers
  • Websearch
  • Notebook

6
  • Computer
  • Projector

6. METHODOLOGY

a)Principles, strategies and teaching styles

In order to apply all the objectives proposed, we are going to use an eclectic method based on communicative approaches. The language includes communicative functions as well as grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, so we want to supply all of that with the development of the different skills of the language: listening and reading comprehension, and oral and writing production. The different skills will be presented in the different activities all the time, because they are the core of the language. And, as we have already said, they will have an interdisciplinary component with connections between some of the subjects that they are studying in this course.

Thus, we are going to apply in the vast majority the communicative method, because the core of all languages is the communication. This method is a good way of teaching a second language, because it encourages students to use it since the first time they begin to learn the language, although they do not have a big knowledge of it. The Communicative Approach is very important in the class, it is something really useful, and hence the teacher should promote the interaction between pupils and teacher, and the participation in the activities and exercises in class. In this way, students will increase their fluency in the language and they will achieve a good communication. So, the principle aim is fluency, not accuracy, in this way, pupils can commit some errors, but they will be able to communicate with a fluent language, the teacher will motivate them and help them in all the problems that they can have.

Apart from the communicative approach, we are going to introduce other methods, in order to apply some other techniques which can be appropriated to be used in this unit. We are going to use the Direct Method, the Audiolingual one… We think that the eclectic approach is the best way to use the different methods, because the different features can be useful for some specific things but not for others. We should pick up the most important and the most useful ideas from each method and apply them into our specific and new method. In this specific unit we are going to use the following principles:

· Autonomous learning: The learning of English shouldn’t take place just in class; the learners should study or practise outside. It is very important to improve the knowledge of English with practice or study outside class, so the teacher has to provide homework to their students or suggest them to watch TV shows or movies, in order to improve their understanding of the language. This is an autonomous way of learning that The Silent Way Method promotes and it is very important because the learner will progress according to their own will. They will do some activities in class, like preparing the presentation about the websearch.

· Motivation and the active role of the student are essential elements for the learning process. Students are constantly working and are aware of the development of their skills. The Total Physical Response Method proposes the teaching with humour and amusement. One example of that could be the game “wordwheel”, where pupils have to answer question in order to complete the alphabet. With this game, we can promote listening and speaking skills, and we create a good atmosphere in class. This is very interesting because, in this way, the pupils feel confident to use the language.

We are going to use all kind of games or funny activities in order to create a good atmosphere in class and increase motivation in the pupils. They will become active pupils of the subject and they will be participants of the communicative language. Of course, we will use the appropriated language, related with their knowledge of English, with a language in use, in real contexts.

· Working in pairs or groups when the activity allows for them rather than individual work. It is a very important part too where we want to promote the works in groups, improving the cooperative learning.

· The use of the language in class is very important in order to improve pronunciation and interaction. They will have to read aloud, to make presentations…all in the target language.

· Interdisciplinary focus. Some contents from other subjects are included in order to allow students to develop the capacity for “learning to learn”, that is, for transferring and integrating knowledge by promoting cross-curricular coherence.

· Meaningful learning is promoted and is a priority in the classroom, and aims at stimulating key competences or capacities.

· We will add activities with ICTs (Information and communications technology or information and communication technology), in order to reduce the Digital Divide, which is the difference between the people who knows how to use the ITCs and the ones who don´t know. Thus, we are going to work with a Websearch that we have designed for them, in order to promote the participation and the motivation. Also, they will use the ICTs in English, and they will review vocabulary and grammar that we will study in this lesson.

b) Activities and techniques in the teaching/learning process

Apart of the aims above, we are going to use different methods and approaches, in order to supply some necessities of the group with several activities:

METHOD

ACTIVITY

Direct Method
  • Reading aloud
  • Conversation Practice

Audiolingual Method
  • Reading Comprehension Questions
  • Application of Rules (Futures)
  • Composition (Students write about a topic using the target language)

Total Physical Response Method
  • Vocabulary Memorization

The Silent Way Method
  • Games using English language

Communicative method/approach
  • Presentations about the topic
  • Dialogues

Thus, an eclectic approach is the best way to use the different methods, because the different features can be useful for some specific things but not for others. We should pick up the most important and the most useful ideas from each method and apply them into our specific and new method.

7. ATTENTION TO DIVERSITY

Actually, there is not any person with A.C.N.E.E, but in all courses there are people who do not achieve the objectives because they have a lower level and maybe they feel lost in class. For that reason, in this didactic unit, we are going to follow some aspects in order to help that people who can feel lost in this subject:

8. EVALUATION

WHEN?

HOW?

Initial evaluation:

Its principal objective is to know what is the level of the students in this specific didactic unit, it is a little need analysis that let us to know if we have to adapt the content or not.

· In the first session we will see what students know about the topic, because we have to make questions to them about the weather, and they will have to link pictures with definition.

Formative evaluation:

This evaluation is made among days, we see how students do the different activities proposed, if the participate in class; if they are motivated…we should take into account all that aspects.

· Direct observation

· Participation in class

· Works in groups (how do they act?)

· Role-playing

· Composition

· Final Presentation

· Assessment of the Portfolio

Final evaluation:

The final evaluation should be an objective test in order to measure if students have achieved the objectives proposed.

· Formal test at the end of the unit.

GRADE PERCENTAGES

CLASSROOM WORK

20%

· Attitude, participation and notebook 15 %

· Individual activities:

– Writing 5%

PRESENTATION

20%

· Presentation, speaking and interaction 10%

· Content 10%

PORTFOLIO

10%

· Portfolio with all the activities from the different topics, and their feedback

FINAL TEXT

50%

· Grammar 10 %

· Reading 10 %

· Listening 10 %

· Vocabulary 10%

· Writing 10 %

9. BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.boe.es/aeboe/consultas/bases_datos/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2007-238

http://www.guerrero.gob.mx/pics/art/articles/10151/file.gA2-11.pdf

http://www.englishclub.com/speaking/weather-report.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12806874

http://www.defensordelmenor.org/upload/legislacion/leyEspanola/Decreto_2007-23.pdf

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