MODULE: COLONIALISM AND RACISM:

cultural consequences

 

TEACHING UNIT

 

TITLE: BLACK AMERICANS

ADDRESSEES: V High school

LEVEL: B2 of the CEF

TIME: 5 hours

 

PREREQUISITES: level B1 of the CEF

Grammatical: Being able to use the basic grammar;

Lexical: Being able to use the level vocabulary;

Functional:

Can give her/his opinion about a topic of interest;

Can give reasons;

Can support statements.

Language Activities:

Ø    Reception:

-        Can skim a text in order to catch its general meaning;

-         Can scan long a text in order to gather information from different parts;

-         Can recognize the main informations in a newspaper article;

-         Can understand the general meaning of a song of interest, if the pronunciation of the singer is clear and the rhythm is slow.

Ø               Interaction:

-         Can discuss with other people about a specific topic;

-         Can give opinions on cultural topic such as music;

-        Can sum up, in order to report the content of a text and discuss it.

Ø    Production:

-         Can explain his/her opinions and suggestions;

-         Can make simple detailed descriptions on familiar subjects or topics;

-         Can write simple essays on topic of interest;

-         Can summarize;

-         Can report and give his/her opinion.

 

TITLE OF THE LESSONS:

Lesson 1: The triangular trade

Lesson 2: Slavery in U.S.A.

Lesson 3: Apartheid and racism

Lesson 4: Black Music

Lesson 5: East Coast vs West Coast

 

AIMS:

General formative aims:

Enriching the general knowledge;

Producing intercultural awareness;

Discovering and understanding different cultures;

Stimulating reflection;

Encouraging the exchange of ideas and opinions;

Respecting other habits and cultures.

Improving the ability of skimming and scanning.

v   General linguistic aims:

-         Enriching vocabulary;

-        Reinforcing the basic grammar;

v   Specific aims:

Analysing themes such as: slavery, racism, black condition in America, making a comparison with the Italian condition of the immigrates and minorities;

Focusing on some aspects of American civilization.

 

OBJECTIVES

Can do statements:

Writing:

Can take notes;

Can summarise;

Can write a well structured essay on a topic of interest, giving informations, opinions etc.

Reading:

Can understand the main points of a text;

Can read articles, newspapers, magazines taking position;

Can find the “cause-effect” nexus among the events.

Ø    Oral production:

Can enter into conversation on topics of interest;

Can give reasons and explanations for opinions and suggestions;

Can narrate a story or an event and express their reaction;

Can describe their own experiences in relationship with the topic.

 

 

v  Linguistic objectives:

-        To reinforce the use of the past tense;

-        To use temporal linkers;

-        To increase lexical knowledge;

-        To get a sufficient range of language to explain the main points about an idea or problem with precision;

-        To express thoughts on abstract or cultural topics;

-        To improve how to report.

 

v  Pedagogical objectives:

-         To be able to share opinions with others;

-         To be able to find logical links.

 

Communicative objectives:

-         To talk about past events in detail;

-         To compare past and present situation.

Comparing cultural contexts;

Expressing agreement or disagreement;

Expressing opinions and feelings;

 

COMPETENCES INVOLVED

v  General competences:

Ø    Declarative knowledge ( savoir):

-        Knowledge about the countries where English is spoken;

-        (Sociocultural knowledge):Knowledge of the societies and cultures of the communities where English is spoken, related to everyday life, living conditions, interpersonal relations, values.

-        (Intercultural awareness):Knowledge, awareness of the relation between the “World of origin” and the “World of target community”.

 

Knowledge and skills (savoir-faire):

-        Ability to put in relationship the culture of the origin and the foreign culture;

-       Ability to overcome stereotyped relationships.

Ø   Existential competences (savoir- être):

-        Attitudes towards new experiences, other people, ideas societies and cultures;

-        Ethical and moral values;

Ø    Ability to learn (savoir-apprendre):

-        Study skills: paying attention to the chosen informations; catching the main aim of a duty to do; working in pair or in group; being able to use materials in order to improve autonomously; learning from direct observation and participation in communication events (e.g. discussions, debates, etc.);

 

COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCES

v  Linguistic competences:

-        Being able to vary words in order to avoid repetitions;

-        Being able to use the semantic field related to the chosen topic;

-        Being able to use a clear pronunciation.

v   Pragmatic competences:

-         Being able to express themselves fluently;

-        Being able to exploit a wide range of language flexibly to express most of what students want;

-        Being able to link elements;

-        Being able to get across the main points;

-        Being able to report, comment an historical text and a text of a song.

 

AIDS

-        Newspapers, songs;

-        Internet sites;

-        OHP;

-        Photocopies;

-        Map;

-        Textbook;

-        CD-player, CDs;

-        Monolingual dictionary.

 

STRATEGIES

Reception strategies:

-       Can identify unknown words from the context on topics related to his/her field and interest;

Interaction strategies:

-        Can intervene in a discussion on a topics;

-        Can sum up the point reached in a discussion or repeat what has been said;

-        Can initiate, maintain and close simple conversation on topics that are of personal interest.

v   Production strategies:

-        Can work out how to communicate the main points he/she wants to get across;

-        Can correct himself/herself while communicating.

 

TASKS TO BE PERFORMED

-        Reading texts or articles, related to the topic, for general information;

-        Making research on internet;

-        Reporting information;

-        Summarising the texts;

-        Writing an essay expressing personal opinions;

-        Listening and understanding the general meaning of a song.

 

ASSESSMENT TOOLS

1.     Structured: True/False; Multiple choices.

Example of True or false:         Harlem is in Chicago.  V   F

Example of Multiple choice:     The triangular trade involved:

a)England- Asia-America;

b)England- South America- America;

c) England-West Africa- America

 

2.     Half-structured: Short essays; Summaries; Talks.

Short essay: Write (or speak) about the way in which blacks used to work in cotton-fields and explain the way in which they communicated each other while working.

Summary: Try to sum up the article you have read in order to share the informations, you have found on this topic, with the others. 

3.     Not-structured: Free writing; Debates.

 

EVALUATION CRITERIA AND CREDITS

 

Written:	Credits
Content	0-3
Lexicon	0-2
Grammatical correctness	0-3
Communicative effectiveness	0-2

Oral:	Credits
Content	0-3
Correctness	0-3
Fluency	0-3
Pronunciation	0-1

 

Marginal pass= 5/10

Pass= 6-7/10

Pass with merit: 8-9-10/10.

 

Remedial work: The teacher will choose some exercises, according to the results of the formative evaluations, so that he/she could intervene focusing his/her attention on the students’ gaps

 

Links with other subjects: English Literature, History, Music; Religion.