Article by Oleg F. Savin,
teacher of English, Ladyzhinka secondary school.
Edited & published on April 11, 2011.
Put a new twist to age old favorites and modern innovations. In this English lesson plan, you will find a few guidelines and tips on how to carry out language learning using fairy tales, video & computer resources.
Rationale for the Study
Children (and adults) learn more enthusiastic in the course of emotional animation. “The archetypes of fairy tales and legends can provide adolescents with answers, reassurance, and the opportunity to safely explore new thoughts, values, and self-identities. Retold fairy tales and legends allow children and young adults to both link with the past and create their own future by adding their voices to the old tales.” ‘’When you've spent some time immersed in someone else's value system and culture, you'll come out looking at yours differently….all literature should do it, but science fiction and fantasy are able to deliver it to you in a way that gets around the barriers you set up against receiving information you don't agree with" (Bull 4).
Lesson Overview
Learning Area: English Language Study.
Topic: A Fairy Tale: Personages, their manners, thoughts & peculiarities.
Suggested Year Level: 8 -11, 2-nd – 4-th forms
Lesson Aim/Objective(s):
• To introduce and drill new lexical material of fairy tales and to challenge pupils to think of the new ways to master language habits and skills.
• To introduce a cartoon video ‘’Aladdin’’ that remixes well known fairy tale and to help each pupil to take the best of watching the cartoon.
• To practice language material (words and expressions) of the unit of work.
Pupils’ outcomes:
• That every pupil chooses a disk to watch and is ready to express himself on the topic.
• That the best part of the pupils understands the concept of creating their language boxes.
• That some pupils will say or write initial content and feedback in proportion to their abilities, language skills, interests.
Lesson Preparation/Resources:
• A video compact disk – cartoon video ‘’Aladdin’’, computers: 1 pupil – 1 computer.
-Selection of printed texts that depict retellings of folk tales and fairy tales, as well as sample of books those tell folk tales and fairy tales in the children’s (adopted) format.
• A list of new words and expressions that might not be understood by the pupils from the contents in the film.
Note: Each pupil is provided with a printed list of words & expressions with their transcription & translation or the list is displayed on the multimedia board or computer monitor.
Teaching Notes
Basic Definitions
• Fairy tale - a narrative that often has magical characters and elements.
Allowances for Pupils:
• Allow pupils with learning/auditory difficulties and/or other issues to work with the graphic version of the fairy tale.
Procedure
Greetting, Attention Сoncentration. – 1 min.
Warm up. – 2 min.
Introductory Conversation and Instructions. – 3 min.
I have a little son. He isn’t a pupil, he doesn’t go to school, he goes to a kindergarten. About half an hour a day he watches T-V or CD-films, mostly cartoons. Do you know what is the Ukrainian fоr ‘’cartoons’’? - Arsen, what about you? – (Pupil’s response & teacher’s comment)
General conversation ‘’teacher – pupils’’. – 2 min.
Pre-listening and Pre-watching Exercises: - 3 min.
1.Handing out 2 lexical cards for each pupil with the words to understand the cartoons (one card - with the translation, the other – only English equivalents) and explaining how to use them in the course of watching the film, studying the most difficult words.
Pre-listening Task: - 3 min.
2.Presenting the questions, pupils should be ready to answer & speak on after viewing the cartoons:
Be ready to say what is good & what is bad with the heroes of the fairy-tale?
While-listening Task: (instructions)
- Be attentive, listen to the teacher’s comments, have your own opinion.
- Note special expressions for each personage in the card.
Pupils are watching the cartoon. – 15 minutes.
Post-listening Task:
1. Answer the questions:
-Who is the story about?
- What is the boy’s name?
- What kind of boy is Aladdin?
- Who did he live with?
- What was Abanazer?
- Who are the personages of the story?
- What do you like & dislike in the film? What is good & what is bad with the personages of the fairy-tale?- 4 min.
2. Translate into Ukrainian the words from the card, using tezaurus. – 4 min.
3. Choose an appropriate variant to complete the sentence:
a) Aladdin’s hobby was (- to gather jewels, - to help his mother about the house, - to play football -).
b) Abanazar was (- a good man, - an evil magician, - a good magician -).
c) The king asked for (- 30 plates of silver, - 40 plates of jewels, - 50 plates of gold -).
d) The big Jenie was the host (- of the ring, - of the King’s palace, - of the magic lamp -). – 2 min.
4. Summing up & Analysis of the Results of Pupils’ Work, Giving Assesment.
5. Home Assignment.
Pupils are assigned to compose a report on a (the) fairy-tale and refresh language patterns. (Cards given).