Lesson script
3rd educational stage (III.0), English
Grade: 3
Content area: Use of authentic materials with the help of information and
communication technologies (ICT) in foreign language classes
Detailed requirements: Student (11) uses sources of information in a foreign
language (e.g. encyclopaedias, the media, instruction manuals), also with the aid of
ICT technologies.
Topic: Geographical records
Duration: 45 minutes
Detailed goals regarding the range of information
Student:
 Knows the names of the continents;
 Knows the names of basic geographical features;
 Knows the superlative of adjectives.
Detailed goals regarding the range of skills
Student:
 Can use sources of information in a foreign language;
 Can write down information from an audio-visual material;
 Can find the relevant information in textual materials;
 Develops listening skills;
 Can talk about unique experiences/places.
Detailed goals regarding attitudes
Student:
 Becomes familiar with authentic materials;
 Develops curiosity about the natural world;
 Becomes aware of a great geographic diversity;
 Learns to cooperate with others for task completion.
Methods
Brainstorming; watching for specific information; reading for specific information;
completing notes; sharing personal experiences; whole class, small groups, pairs,
individual.
Forms and venue
Forms: individual, pairwork, small groups, whole class.
Classes are to be held in the classroom.
Materials and teaching aids
Film; worksheet and reading texts for each student (Supporting Material 1 and 2, for
stage 2.2); crossword; computer and multimedia projector; board
Multimedia resources


Film: Geographical world records
Crossword
Lesson plan/procedure
1 Warm up
Interaction forms: whole class
Duration: 3 minutes
To introduce the topic of the lesson, the teacher elicits from the students some titbits
about the world (e.g. the largest continent, the smallest country, etc.). If they are not
sure, they can try to guess.
2 Main stage
2.1. Introduction to the topic – film
Interaction forms: individual/pairs, whole class
Duration: 12 minutes
The teacher tells the students that they will watch a short film about some
geographical records. They need to note down the information about: (i) the
largest/smallest continent; (ii) the highest mountain; (iii) the longest river; (iv) the
largest lake; (v) the largest island; (vi) the largest country by population; (vii) the
largest/smallest country by area. The teacher may put these categories on the board.
Some words, like area or population, may require pre-teaching.
The film is played twice.
Note: If the students seem to be struggling with the task, (i) they can be allowed to
compare their notes in pairs, and/or (ii) the film can be played a third time.
2.2. Target language extension and practice – searching for information
Interaction forms: pairs, whole class
Duration: 14 minutes
The teacher distributes worksheets with gaps (Supporting Material 1) and text
materials about different continents (Supporting Material 2) to all the students. The
students should be told that the Supporting Material 2 is based on Internet resources
(e.g. Wikipedia).
The students’ task is to fill in the table by finding the missing information in the texts.
Note: Some fields in the table are already provided, as this information has already
appeared in the film.
At this stage of the lesson, the students work in pairs (for peer support and to
develop communication skills).
The teacher monitors and helps, if necessary.
When the students are ready, the answers are checked in open class.
Answers:
Continent
Africa
The highest mountain
Kilimanjaro
Mount Everest
Mont Blanc
The longest river
The Nile
Volga
The largest lake
Lake Victoria
Yangtze
The Caspian
Sea
New Guinea
North America
Mount
McKinley
Mississippi
Lake Ladoga
Lake Superior
Great Britain
Greenland
China
Germany
Unites States
Russia
France
Canada
The largest island
Madagascar
The largest country by
Nigeria
population
The largest country by
Algeria
area
Asia
Europe
2.3. Target language consolidation and practice – crossword
Interaction forms: individual, whole class
Duration: 6 minutes
To further consolidate the information and vocabulary from the lesson, the students
do the crossword. They should work individually at this stage. The teacher can allow
comparing the answers in pairs before eliciting them in open class.
The words tested are: China, continent, Germany, island, Kilimanjaro, population
Russia.
2.4. Consolidation and practice – personalisation
Interaction forms: small groups
Duration: 8 minutes
In small groups, the students talk about the most interesting places on Earth they
would like to visit and why. They can use the places from the table or come up with
other ideas.
3 Closing stage
Interaction forms: whole class
Duration: 2 minutes
For homework, the teacher asks the students to write a brief note about Australia or
South America. They should model their texts on the texts they worked with in stage
2.2.
Geographical records
Supporting Material 1
Complete the table with the information from the text
material.
Continent
Africa
The highest
mountain
............................
The longest river
The largest lake
The largest island
The largest
country by
population
The largest
country by area
The Nile
............................
............................
............................
............................
Asia
Mount Everest
.........................
...
The Caspian
Sea
.........................
...
China
Russia
Europe
North America
............................
............................
............................
............................
............................
............................
............................
Greenland
............................
............................
............................
............................
Geographical records
Supporting Material 2
Europe is the world's second-smallest continent by area. But it’s the third-largest continent by
population (after Asia and Africa). There are about 50 countries in Europe. Without Russia
(as most of its territory is in Asia), Germany is the largest country by population and France
by area, while Vatican is the smallest. Europe has a lot of islands, of which Great Britain is
the largest. The Volga is the longest river in Europe. It flows through central Russia and into
the Caspian Sea. The largest lake of the continent is Ladoga, which is also in Russia. Mont
Blanc (which means "White Mountain" in French) is the highest mountain in the Alps and also
in Europe.
Africa is the world's second continent by both area and population. It is also the youngest
continent: 50% of Africans are 19 years old or younger. The continent includes Madagascar
(its greatest island) and various archipelagos. Algeria is Africa's largest country by area, and
Nigeria by population. With a surface area of 68,800 km2, Lake Victoria is Africa's largest
lake. Kilimanjaro (5,895 metres), a volcanic mountain in Tanzania, is the highest mountain in
Africa.
Asia is the largest continent on Earth. About 60% of all people live there. The two countries
with the largest population in Asia are China (1,355 million) and India (1,236 million). Russia
is the largest country by area, but its population is much smaller (144 million). The Yangtze is
the longest river in Asia and the third-longest in the world. It flows in China for 6,300
kilometres. Borneo is the third-largest island in the world and the largest island of Asia. It is
divided among three countries: Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
North America is placed between two oceans: the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
There are only 23 countries in North America. The largest country by area is Canada; but it is
only the third largest by population (after the United States and Mexico). Mount McKinley
(6,194 m) is the highest mountain in North America. It is located in Alaska. The Mississippi,
flowing entirely in the United States, is North America’s largest river. It is 3,730 km long. On
the Canada–United States border, there are five Great Lakes. They form the largest group of
lakes on Earth. The largest of them is Lake Superior.
Adapted from Wikipedia