This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Subject taught
- Chemistry
Language Skills Developed
- Interaction
- Listening
- Reading
- Speaking
- Writing
Transferable/Scientific Skills Developed
Students will develop note-taking, communication skills, self-motivation, analytical skills, critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills.
Description
• General aims
Students will be given new insights into plastic and polymers. They will acquire the basic English vocabulary connected with the topic (plastic waste). Students will develop positive learning habits (organisational and ecological and problem-solving skills).
• Linguistic aims
Students will be able to
- improve listening/reading/note-taking skills
- get the main ideas from a passage
- translate words connected with the topic (plastic) from English into their mother tongue.
• Subject specific aims
Students will be able to:
- explain what polymers are, their characteristics, give examples of polymers,
explain the phenomenon of plastic pollution, its causes and effects - provide solutions to related problems in their context
• Target group age
16+
• Level of competence in English (CEFR)
B1/B2
• Different phases to complete the lesson plan
Phase 1 Introduction
The teacher tells the students that they are going to watch a video about plastic.
The teacher asks students to complete a table with the vocabulary they associate with the topic / the teacher will also introduce basic new vocabulary; the mother tongue version is also checked.
The teacher elicits basic information about plastic (Plastic or polymers? Types of materials; Examples of uses; What are the main types of polymers? Min - 1.41). Students watch the first part of the video and compare their predictions with the video.
Students are given a handout with the main ideas of the video and asked to watch the video from 1.41 to the end and complete the handout (Focus on Asking and answering questions). The teacher can replay the video when students ask.
Where are polymers derived from?/Plastic or polymers?
How are polymers produced?/ What do polymers have in common? / What’s different? /Types of polymers/ What other elements can be attached to the carbon backbone?/What other elements can replace carbon/ Usages of polymers/ Plastic pollution what is it?/Main sources?/ Recycling?
Students compare their findings in pairs and groups, and finally in class. After checking the task, students are invited to do the cloze test (TR). Students (individually or in pairs) are asked to watch the video again and write down in the table the lexis used to talk about polymers.
Phase 2 Perils of plastic
Students comment on a photo (throwing tons of packaging carelessly into waters). The teacher elicits from students what happens to plastic once thrown away and presents the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Students are asked to read the text and take notes on the following issues: location, formation, perils and solutions (use the embedded dictionary). Class discussion follows where new vocabulary is also highlighted and explained.
Phase 3 Follow-up
Experiment: The teacher invites students to embark on a week-long activity. Thus students are going to collect their plastic garbage for a week and set up an area at home/classroom for collection. After a week students measure and weigh the garbage they produced and collected. They have to calculate how much garbage they produced or would produce in one week/ one year/ ten years.
Discussion The teacher asks students to reflect on their findings (Why is plastic harmful to the environment? What would be the solution? What could people do to produce less garbage?) Focus on Expressing opinions and asking for opinions.
• Possible difficulties for the students
Students who have poor knowledge of English can have problems with understanding the content.
Language Functions
Asking and answering questions/ Wh Questions
Analysing: X consists of.../ includes...
Comparing and contrasting: X is similar to.../ X differs from Y in that
Giving definition using relatives: X is a ...which....
Expressing opinions and asking for opinions: What do you think about........?/ My opinin is that......What’s yours?
Classifying: The two types of....are....
Teaching Resources (created)
Teaching Resources (reviewed)
Related Video Lessons