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
- Physics
Language Skills Developed
- Interaction
- Listening
- Speaking
- Writing
Transferable/Scientific Skills Developed
Students will develop note-taking, communication skills, self-motivation, critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills.
Description
• General aims
Students learn about gravity as a force that attracts objects to each other; they will also acquire the basic English vocabulary connected with the topic.
• Linguistic aims
Students will
- improve listening/speaking/interaction skills
- translate words connected with the topic from English into their mother tongue.
• Subject specific aims
Students will be able to:
- explain the phenomenon, its causes and effects
- provide solutions to problems in their context
Target group age
14+
• Level of competence in English (CEFR)
B1/B2
• Different phases to complete the lesson plan
Phase 1
Flipped classroom approach Introduction – at home The teacher tells the students that they are going to watch a video about The force of gravity in English at home and do a task (answer questions: What is a force?/Types of force/ What is gravity/mass/weight?/The effects of gravity). The students should already have looked at the idea of force.
Phase 2 In class
The teacher invites students to a brainstorming activity via mentimeter and write any words they associate with the topic/ related nouns &verbs (weigh/weight, etc); the mother tongue version is also checked. The teacher checks the asssignment and then checks comprehension by inviting students to do exercises (Teaching Resources –TR1&2)
The teacher tells students they are going to watch a video where a professor explains the law of gravity and performs an exciting experiment which demonstrates the consequence of the law on free falling objects. The teacher gives students a list of words (10/15) some of which are related to the topic and others are not. The teacher asks students to go through the list and underline the words they think are related to the video. The students watch the video (up to minute 2.57) and compare their predictions with their findings (checking understanding of the words/ mother tongue versions). The teacher sets students into pairs and asks them to find answers to questions related to the video (What is weight? What do scales display? Are mass and weight the same? up to minute 2.57). Focus on giving a definition. Then the teacher launches an intriguing question: if you drop a large apple and a small apple from a tall building, which one will hit the ground first? Students negotiate an answer with their peers and then check their answer by watching the last section of the video.
Discussion
The teacher asks students to reflect on TR4 according to a Thinking Routine (Think/Pair/Share). Focus on Expressing opinions and asking for opinions.
Home assignment – Students are asked to either create a poster on the topic (pair work) or do TR3.
• Possible difficulties for the students
Students who have poor knowledge of English can have problems with understanding the content.
Language Functions
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