A Gap Year - speaking preparation

9. Module 5. What is a Gap Year?

Introduction

A gap year is a year after finishing school and before going to college or University. It is also known as a sabbatical year. During this time students may engage in academic or non-academic courses, do volunteer work, travel or do some other activities like sports, arts etc (Et cetera – лат.). I’ll tell you about some advantages and disadvantages of a gap year and give some example of possible occupations during the year.

1.      Should all school learners take a gap year before starting work or university?

учим эссе –  5i, p.100

2.      Examples: What to Do – 5f, p.96

Conclusion

 

 

 

 

• What is a gap year?
• Why do people want to take a gap year?
• What is the purpose of a gap year?
• What activities is it possible to do to help the environment? Describe some of them.

                                                     - to help a community

                                                    -  to learn new skills

                                                    - to prepare yourself for the future education/job

• What are the popular destinations for a gap year?
• Why do you think young people in Russia do not tend to choose a gap year?
• If you decided to take a gap year, where would you go? What would you do? Why?
• What are you going to do after graduating from school?
• Have you ever done any useful activities during your holidays? Which ones? How did it help you to develop your personality? / - to help the environment? / - to help a community?
• Speak about ADVANTAGES and DISADVANTAGES to a gap year.

School and Education - speaking preparation

• What is your typical school day like?
• Can you tell us about your extracurricular activities?
• What do you typically do after school?
• What subjects do you study? Which ones do you like most of all/ least of all? Why?
• What do you do at different lessons at school? What activities do you think are the most efficient for learning?
• Which subjects do you think are the most important for your future life/career? Why?
• What do you like/dislike about your school? Why?
• What would you offer to change in your school?
• Does distance learning have more advantages or more disadvantages?
• If you could choose, would you study from home or would you attend school?
• What are you going to do when you leave school?

Project "Distance Learning"

Distance Learning

1. Introduction

Some modern technological achievements make a significant breakthrough in education. Distance learning is getting more and more popular nowadays.  You can take an online course, watch lectures or educational videos online, or even complete an MBA (Master of Business Administration) through a Facebook application. The easiest and the most popular way of self education is to use the Web to get explanation of difficult questions, or to practice by doing interactive tasks.  

2. Giving online lessons

I’ll tell you about Salmon Khan’s experience in creating an online academy called KHAN Academy.  … (информация из текста с90, структурированная по теме и представленная в академическом стиле)

3. Getting online education

People who have some experience studying online speak a lot about its advantages and disadvantages. For example, … (можно дать примеры из аудирования с.90)

4. My own educational video. 
                     (Make a video to teach us to do something)

Conclusion

Аудирование с90 №2

Exercise 2b (p. 90)

Mysteries of the World

Mysteries of the World

Plan

Introduction

	Facts	Witness’ accounts and stories	Versions/explanation	How is it used in tourist business?	Do you believe in this legend? Why/Why not?
UFO
Bigfoot
Loch Ness monster
A Mystery of your choice*

Conclusion

Videos

The chart to organise the information

Name of the event	Glastonbury festival	Amazon Rainforest walk	Your event
Location
Target audience
Activities, number of participants
How to create awareness of the project
How to encourage people to make donations
Charities it supports
Effectiveness of the project

The ways to solve some world’s problems

The ways to solve some world’s problems

Plan

Introduction

Nowadays people are willing to solve the world’s problems. Different charity funds are set up. Apart from that, some other ways are used to raise awareness of essential problems of society and nature. (повысить осведомленность о существенных проблемах)

1.    How to raise money to charity ? - p.54 ex.1.  
2 . Glastonbury Festival.- 3c, p.52

• Short information about the festival.
• How to raise money for charity?
• What kind of charities does it support?

3.      The expedition to the Amazon Rainforest – 3e, p.54

The other way to draw people’s attention to urgent problems of our planet is to make an expedition and start a blog campaign, like Ed Strafford’s walk through the  Amazon Rainforest. …

            4. Your example

Conclusion

What do you think about the need to solve the world’s problems?

Social Problems

Social Problems

Introduction

Even a well-developed society has a number of social problems. I’ll tell you about some of them and about possible ways of their solution.

1.      Name the problems – 3b, p.50 ex.1

2.      Ageing population – 3a, p.48.

Will the number of elderly people in society grow?

How difficult is the life of a poor elderly person?

What can the other people of the society do to help elderly people?

3.      Homeless street children – 3b, p.50

How do children end up in the street?

What do they do?

How can society help them? (volunteer work, a makeshift school in Brazil)
            4. Social problems in Saint Petersburg

Conclusion

Consumer Society

Consumer Society

Introduction

In today’s world of endless consumer choices, it’s very easy to spend money without thinking. Many people enjoy bargain-hunting, but our quest to pay less may hide dangers. It’s extremely important to know how to save our hard-earned cash and how to be a responsible shopper.  I’ll tell you some words about it.

1.      The tricks of the trade – 2b p.30

2.      Why is it important to be a responsible shopper – 2h, p.39

3.      Are you a responsible shopper? Why/why not?

 

(4.      What in your opinion is a consumer society? What are its positive and negative sides?)

Conclusion

__________
Some useful key words

Consumerism or consumer society
We buy more than we need.
Manufacturers make us buy more than we need.

· industrial revolution
· mass production - easy to produce
· overproduction
· advertising - send a message to buy more
· fashion - to buy what is in trend this particular year
· big shopping centres - not only places for shopping, but for different kinds of leisure activities.
· changing in advertising
· personalised adverts sent via text messages directly to the individuals 

· popularity of the Internet reveals the information about individuals => online advertisers collect customer’s datas => personalised adverts increase in number

· marketers are always trying to get in touch with their audience
· special offers

Products of the Future

Products of the Future

Introduction

Nowadays our life conditions are developing tremendously fast. More and more inventions of science and technology are used in our everyday life. We can expect some new unusual inventions to be introduced to us in the nearest future. I’m going to tell you about some possible achievements in the field of clothing, equipment, home computing and farming.

1. A spray-on clothes– 2a, p.28
2. Printed equipment
3. A clever home
4. A skyscraper farm.  – 2f, p.36
5. A Product of the future I want to describe.

Conclusion

План рассказа о каждом объекте: 
1. What is it?  How does it work, or how is it supposed to be used?
2. What are its advantages and disadvantages?

Дополнительные материалы: 

Electric vehicle - https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_vehicle

Graphene  - https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphene
Robots - https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot

Virtual reality - https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_reality

Natural Disasters

 1. Natural Disasters

Introduction

We live on the Earth and we adore the beauty of nature. However, sometimes Mother Nature can be really violent and cause disasters. The disasters of natural origin are called natural disasters or environmental disasters. They are … . Today I will tell you about some of them.

1.      A volcano eruption – 1a, p.8
2.      A Hurricane – 1c, p.12
3.      An earthquake – 1f, p.16
4.      A tsunami – 1h, p.19
5.   Describe a natural disaster on your choice.

Conclusion

План рассказа о каждом явлении

What is it? (What is its origin? What is happening during the disaster?)

What damage does it cause?

What is done to help people?

Project "Crime and Community"

Crime and Community

Introduction

Everyone wants to live in a well-developed cultural society. Unfortunately, I can’t say that there is no crime in our life. In this speech I’ll tell you about different types of crimes and about people who fight against them.

1.        Types of crime. Short description of them. p.97 ex.1

2.        Crime fighters

There is a number of jobs related to fighting crime. For example, a shop detective is employed by a shop to catch shoplifters. … p.100 ex.1

3.        How does a forensic scientist work? – text p.100

I want to tell you about a person who works as a forensic scientist and helps to solve horrible crimes. His name is Ben Langdon.

What does he specialise in?

An example of his work during one case.

What equipment does he use?

Why does he like his job?

4. Would you like to have a job related to fighting crime? Why/ Why not? (What is interesting/not interesting to you?)

Conclusion

Climate Change - Plan

CLIMATE CHANGE

Introduction

In this project I’ll tell you how climate change influences the life on our planet. I’ll also give you some information about the latest technological achievements to change the weather in one particular place.

1. The Greenhouse Effect

The climate on the Earth is quite warm and comfortable for people to live. It’s because of the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide surround our planet like thick blanket. The heat from the sun reaches our planet, then radiates from the land and the sea. Partly this heat goes up into the atmosphere and partly it is trapped by the greenhouse gasses. Scientists say that in the next 100 years, the average temperature will rise by about 3 degrees Celsius. It doesn’t sound like a lot, BUT it means big trouble! Ice is already melting, sea levels are rising and the climate is changing. 

2. Cities under the sea. (SB p.50)

3. Wildlife in great danger.

(your own example)

4. Wild, wild weather. (SB p.51)

5. Changing the weather. (WB p.27)

Unfortunately, people can’t change the climate on the Earth, but sometimes we can change the weather.

     - “cloud seeding”

     - “nanobots”

Conclusion

Watch a video on the greenhouse effect - https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=93&v=BPJJM_hCFj0

A picture to explain how the greenhouse efect works.