Introductory Unit

Sept-Oct 09

YEAR 12 – GETTING
STARTED

AIMS
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Impart and discuss basic information about our syllabus/curriculum
Share personal and group expectations
Raise interest and curiosity
Foster students’ initiative.

YOUR TASK
A - Prepare a poster with:
your (research) questions
images that illustrate your views/interpretation of the different topics
questions you would like to ask
activities and materials you’d like to suggest
The group will have 15 minutes to present the poster which will be followed by discussion.

A - The main TOPIC for your poster:

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN THE WORLD

Evolution of the English language: social, cultural and political points of view
- world languages and expansion (Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English, …)
- the English language and the information society
- the future of the English language
-…
• Brainstorm the group’s ideas and knowledge.

• Ask your own questions (what you’d like to know) and find other sub-topics.

• Give ideas for debates and activities

• Suggest materials you’d like to use (books, Internet sites, films, TV series, etc)

Here are some questions to help you out but do not limit yourself to these.
- What are the origins of the English language?

- What are the so-called Englishes?

- What is the difference between a language and a dialect?

- Which historical factors contributed to the present status of the English language?

- ….

B – LINKS to other TOPICS

Themes and topics should not be seen in isolation. Take some time to make some connections
with the other topics.
One member of your group (a spy!) should visit the other groups at the end of the first lesson for
inspiration.
NOTES:
Try to keep English as your sole language of communication!
You’ll have two whole classes to discuss ideas, prepare your poster and the presentation.
You should organize your work the way you see fit: bring your PC/magazines/books, go to the library, … .
I suggest you divide some basic roles so that work goes smoothly: a timekeeper, a coordinator, a materials manager, etc.
Your collaboration skills will be observed and assessed by the teacher.
No written work is required, apart from the poster, but you are advised to prepare notes so you can present your work
more effectively.
There will be and ‘END TASK’, after discussion, which will be individual.
 Introductory Unit
Sept-Oct 09

YEAR 12 – GETTING
STARTED

AIMS
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Impart and discuss basic information about our syllabus/curriculum
Share personal and group expectations
Raise interest and curiosity
Foster students’ initiative.

YOUR TASK
A - Prepare a poster with:
your (research) questions
images that illustrate your views/interpretation of the different topics
questions you would like to ask
activities and materials you’d like to suggest
The group will have 15 minutes to present the poster which will be followed by discussion.

A - The main TOPIC for your poster:

CITIZENSHIP and MULTICULTURALISM
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- equal rights and equal opportunities (children, old people, women…)
- the right to be different (language, religion, ethnicity, …)
- charismatic figures (Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Germaine Greer,
Betty Friedan, MLK, …)
-…
Living with diversity
- mobility and migratory fluxes
- refugees (political, religious, economic, ethnical grounds)
- immigration policies (Australia, USA, EU, …)

• Brainstorm the group’s ideas and knowledge.

• Ask your own questions (what you’d like to know) and find other sub-topics.

• Give ideas for debates and activities

• Suggest materials you’d like to use (books, Internet sites, films, TV series, etc)

Here are some questions to help you out but do not limit yourself to these.
- What does citizenship mean? How has the concept evolved throughout the time?

- Are Human Rights (as in the UN Declaration) universal?

- Can one man/woman make the difference? (about charismatic figures)

- ….

B – LINKS to other TOPICS

Themes and topics should not be seen in isolation. Take some time to make some connections
with the other topics.
One member of your group (a spy!) should visit the other groups at the end of the first lesson for
inspiration.

NOTES:
Try to keep English as your sole language of communication!
You’ll have two whole classes to discuss ideas, prepare your poster and the presentation.
You should organize your work the way you see fit: bring your PC/magazines/books, go to the library, … .
I suggest you divide some basic roles so that work goes smoothly: a timekeeper, a coordinator, a materials manager, etc.
Your collaboration skills will be observed and assessed by the teacher.
No written work is required, apart from the poster, but you are advised to prepare notes so you can present your work
more effectively.
There will be and ‘END TASK’, after discussion, which will be individual.
 Introductory Unit
Sept-Oct 09

YEAR 12 – GETTING
STARTED

AIMS
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Impart and discuss basic information about our syllabus/curriculum
Share personal and group expectations
Raise interest and curiosity
Foster students’ initiative.

YOUR TASK
A - Prepare a poster with:
your (research) questions
images that illustrate your views/interpretation of the different topics
questions you would like to ask
activities and materials you’d like to suggest
The group will have 15 minutes to present the poster which will be followed by discussion.

A - The main TOPIC for your poster:

DEMOCRACY IN A GLOBAL ERA
Main trends in democratic societies
- economic and cultural globalization (McDonald’s, Body Shop, Pizza Hut, Nike, CNN,
Shell, …)
- shared responsibility (wealth distribution, environmental issues, …)
- participation
- education and democracy
-…
A changing democracy
- different types of democracy
- the building of the European union
-…

• Brainstorm the group’s ideas and knowledge.

• Ask your own questions (what you’d like to know) and find other sub-topics.

• Give ideas for debates and activities

• Suggest materials you’d like to use (books, Internet sites, films, TV series, etc)

Here are some questions to help you out but do not limit yourself to these.
- What does democracy mean?

- Is democracy the best system of governance?

- Can it be exported?

- ….

B – LINKS to other TOPICS

Themes and topics should not be seen in isolation. Take some time to make some connections
with the other topics.
One member of your group (a spy!) should visit the other groups at the end of the first lesson for
inspiration.

NOTES:
Try to keep English as your sole language of communication!
You’ll have two whole classes to discuss ideas, prepare your poster and the presentation.
You should organize your work the way you see fit: bring your PC/magazines/books, go to the library, … .
I suggest you divide some basic roles so that work goes smoothly: a timekeeper, a coordinator, a materials manager, etc.
Your collaboration skills will be observed and assessed by the teacher.
No written work is required, apart from the poster, but you are advised to prepare notes so you can present your work
more effectively.
There will be and ‘END TASK’, after discussion, which will be individual.
 Introductory Unit
Sept-Oct 09

YEAR 12 – GETTING
STARTED

AIMS
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Impart and discuss basic information about our syllabus/curriculum
Share personal and group expectations
Raise interest and curiosity
Foster students’ initiative.

YOUR TASK
A - Prepare a poster with:
your (research) questions
images that illustrate your views/interpretation of the different topics
questions you would like to ask
activities and materials you’d like to suggest
The group will have 15 minutes to present the poster which will be followed by discussion.

A - The main TOPIC for your poster:

CULTURES, ARTS AND SOCIETY
The second half of the 20th century in literature, cinema, music, …
- democratization of the arts (The Beat Generation, popular culture, street culture,
…)
- new voices (women, minorities,…)
- new forms of expression (street graphics, video clips, …)
-…
Diversity in English speaking countries
- indigenous cultures (native Americans, Aborigines, Maoris, …)
- …

• Brainstorm the group’s ideas and knowledge.

• Ask your own questions (what you’d like to know) and find other sub-topics.

• Give ideas for debates and activities

• Suggest materials you’d like to use (books, Internet sites, films, TV series, etc)

Here are some questions to help you out but do not limit yourself to these.
- What is Art? Is there such a thing as Art?

- What is meant by ‘democratization’ of the arts?

- What authors/artists are so inspiring to us that we’d like to share our feelings with our
colleagues? Why?

- ….

B – LINKS to other TOPICS

Themes and topics should not be seen in isolation. Take some time to make some connections
with the other topics.
One member of your group (a spy!) should visit the other groups at the end of the first lesson for
inspiration.

NOTES:
Try to keep English as your sole language of communication!
You’ll have two whole classes to discuss ideas, prepare your poster and the presentation.
You should organize your work the way you see fit: bring your PC/magazines/books, go to the library, … .
I suggest you divide some basic roles so that work goes smoothly: a timekeeper, a coordinator, a materials manager, etc.
Your collaboration skills will be observed and assessed by the teacher.
No written work is required, apart from the poster, but you are advised to prepare notes so you can present your work
more effectively.
There will be and ‘END TASK’, after discussion, which will be individual.