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Progetto CLIL "Shine with English""

INTRODUCTION

The four Cs of CLIL

1 – Content

Subjects: Italian (epic poetry) and geography
In the project ‘Shine with English’, the selected topics are included as part of the subjects that are taught as compulsory components in the national first-year curriculum of Lower Secondary School. Using the CLIL approach, the students could deepen and develop both their knowledge regarding topics (the myth of the four seasons and Mediterranean climate) and their communicative skills.

2 – Communication

The students learnt and improved their knowledge of the language, as English was the language of instructions and sources (authentic materials). Attention was paid to all elements of language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) and knowledge (vocabulary building). Teachers and students rarely switched between both languages, Italian and English, to provide knowledge and ability to communicate about the topic. Much of the time was devoted to student communication to increase the so-called Student Talking Time (STT) and reduce the TTT (Teacher Talking Time).

3 – Cognition

The learners were involved in activities (cooperative learning, problem solving) in order to improve their thinking skills. Understanding geography, myths and culture in English and being able to communicate critically was a step forward to achieve higher order reasoning skills ("learn to learn").

4 – Culture

The students learnt to compare and contrast different features of their home country (Italy) and others (the U.K. and other Mediterranean countries). They were encouraged to share descriptions and understand the reasons for any differences, to consider themselves citizens of the world.


GEOGRAPHY: Weather, seasons and emotions

Vocabulary building: talking about the weather (PDF)

Weather words (Padlet)

Vocabulary (Quizlet)

Game: Flashcards

TASK

Let’s find out what happened to the Durrells… in ‘My family and other animals’ by Gerard Durrell
The Durrells, an English family, go to live on a Greek island of Corfù where the weather is sunny and quite hot. They meet a lot of interesting people and find that life there is very different from life in England.
Weather can affect people’s moods and lives…

Chapter 1 - Larry’s Idea
After July came the cold winds and the grey skies of August. My family had all their usual illnesses. My mother and I had bad colds. My brother Leslie had a problem with his ears. My sister Margo’s spot were worse than ever. Only my oldest brother, Larry, was healthy, but he found the rest of us very difficult to live with.
“Why do we stay in England in this weather?” he asked Mother. “They‘re ill and you are looking older every day.” “I’m not”, Mother replied. She was reading at the time. “You are”, Larry said. “We need sunshine… a country where we can grow”. “Yes dear, that’s a good idea”, Mother answered, not really listening. “George says Corfu’s wonderful. Why don’t we go there?”
“If you like, dear”. It was important to keep Larry happy.
“When?” asked Larry with surprise.
Mother realized her mistake and put down her book. “Perhaps you can go first and look at the place”, she said cleverly. “If it’s nice, we can all follow.”
Larry looked at her. “You said that last time. I waited in Spain for two months and you didn’t come. No, if we‘re going to Greece, let’s go together.”
So we sold the house and ran from the English summer(…)
From Italy we caught a boat. We slept when the boat left and then, very early the next morning, we watched for Corfù.
The sea turned blue, then purple, and suddenly there there was the sleeping island in front of us.

QUESTIONNAIRE
1. What was the weather like in England?
2. Were the Durrells happy there? Why?
3. Does George think that Corfù is wonderful?
4. How was Corfù in front of them?
5. Do you think it’s a good reason to move because of the weather? Why?
6. What’s the weather like in the UK? Are there any similarities with the Mediterranean climate? Which ones?

The mariner's compass rose

"Weather and emotions"

Video: "Weather and seasons"

Video: "Let's talk about climate"

Video: "Sing a song"

Video: "Hello Spring"

Backstage

Acrostic poetry 


EPIC POETRY: THE FOUR SEASONS MYTH

TASK

WATCH THE VIDEO AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS. PAIRWORK

1. Who was Demeter?

2. Who was Persephone?

3. What was Persephone doing?

4. Where was Persephone kept by Pluto?

5. Was she happy?

6. Who brought Persephone back to earth?

7. Were mother and daughter, Demeter and Persephone, reunited?

8. When is it time of autumn and winter?

9. When is it time of spring and summer?

10. Do you like this myth?

TASK

Myths:
What are the main aspects of a myth?

The myth of Persephone:
Who are the other characters of this myth? Describe and compare them.
Think creatively! Is it a ‘family drama’? Why?

Myths or literary works:
Do you know other myths or literary works related to weather and emotions?

[prezihm]http://prezi.com/j9orzs7a555x/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share [/prezihm]
The myth of Persephone on Prezi

The myth of Persephone on Storyboard

Evaluation test