Migliorare
i risultati dell’istruzione nei bienni delle scuole secondarie superiori
Progetto
di attività sperimentali rivolte all’innovazione nei
bienni
delle scuole secondarie superiori della Provincia
di Torino,
finalizzate all’orientamento, alla riduzione
della dispersione scolastica e al miglioramento dei risultati
dell’apprendimento
Attività di ricerca-azione nelle classe prime in obbligo di istruzionee in riferimento allo sviluppo di alcune competenze culturali
Scuola:
ITIS “A. Avogadro”
Classe: Classe I B – Biennio economico-aziendale e turistico
Periodo: febbraio-aprile 2008, per un totale di 20 ore
Docente: Anna Maria V. Marchione - Inglese
Periodo dell’anno scolastico – Venti (20) ore ca. tra il il 22 gennaio e il 4 marzo 2008
UNITA’ DI INSEGNAMENTO/APPRENDIMENTO
(INGLESE)
Titolo - Discovering teenage personality:
Who are you?
Allegato Testi e attività
BEFORE READING (fase motivazionale)
Some details about yourself are things which you cannot change (like
your physical appearance), while others are things which reflects your own
choices (like your personal preferences). These can change and perhaps some of
them are already different from when you were little. What do you think of the
details which describe your personality? Can they change?
TEXT A: an English
teenager, Marilyn, wants to find a penfriend on the
Net so she writes a description of herself for an Internet Penfriends
site.
1. Read the notes she sent about herself revealing her own personality. While reading
check the
meaning
of the following statements and match them with a suitable adjective (if you
need, you
can
have a look at the word bank in the
following page):
-
if you put yourself in someone’s shoes you
are____________________
-
if you see life through rose-coloured glasses you
are_____________________
-
if you put your heart and soul into any cause you
believe in you are _______________
Hi, my name’s Marilyn and…this is me!
In my name there are an “m”,
an “”a”, an “i” , a “y” and an “r” so I can say I’m
marvellous, attractive, intelligent, youthful and reserved … but I’m afraid
that only the last word is true!
Well, first the bad things.
I’m a bit shy and not outgoing enough, but I think I’m a kind person ,I care
about people and their feelings and I ‘ve enough
sensitivity to put myself in their shoes:
I’m usually ready to help in
an emergency and to excuse them if they are wrong. My friends say that I’ m
quite generous because I like giving presents! Maybe I’m a bit moody: I’m
either really happy or I’m really depressed (and I’m not very nice when I’m
down!)
I’m certainly not perfect but
I don’t think I have irritating habits. I‘m not an optimistic,or,at least,I don’t see life through rose-coloured glasses. I
have a sensibile attitude to life, and I’m naturally
cautious without being pessimistic. I’m a bit indecisive,too, as I don’t make decisions quickly.
There are times when I feel
down, full of self-pity and unwilling to accept the responsability
for things I’ve done, but this doesn’t last long. For instance, I often expect
people to criticize what I do and I often feel depressed, but I am ready to
accept new proposals even if I try to think carefully first. This is only wise,
I’d say!
I dislike compromise and I’m
intolerant of fools and stupidity. I’m careful with money, and I like buying casual
and practical clothes rather than anything extravagant.
I’m very possessive about
things I have and the people I know, but I’m unselfish and loyal at the same time.I keep my promises and I don’t discuss my friends with
other people. I’m not an extrovert and I don’t like big parties and social occasions;I prefer to meet a
friend at a time rather than have a party for all my friends.
Maybe there are some
contradictions in my personality: I’m practical but I’ve artistic and creative
ability as well and I like beauty and harmony. “Imagination” is my key- word,
whatever field of activity I’m partecipating in: I
put my heart and soul into any cause I believe in! I’m easily persuded by other people ,yet,once my mind is made up, nothing will change it.
I appreciate freedom and hate
restrictive relationships and I work far better on my own than with others
preferring to be in control, but I think I’m pretty sociable and I like being
with people.
To tell you the truth, I
don’t believe I ‘ve a dual
personality!
2. Which adjectives does Marilyn
use to describe herself ? In your opinion, which are positive
and
which are negative? Make a list in your exercise-book:
Positive adjectives | Negative adjectives
|
|
|
|
|
|
Word
Bank
3.To understand
yourselves better you need to look at your basic personality, that is
the way you
present
yourselves to the world. Here are some adjectives which we use to
describe people’s
personality:
have a look at the list and find the opposites to the following adjectives:
kind/__________________ optimistic/_______________ autiouos________________
unselfish/______________ extrovert/________________ indecisive/______________
selfish/_________________ insicure/_________________
easy-going/_____________
impulsive/______________ outgoig/_________________ quiet/_________________
modest/________________ proud/___________________ big-headed/____________
intelligent – clever – attractive - handsome –artistic – determined
- energetic – likeable – loyal
generous kind/unkind –selfish – thoughtful – mature – amusing – cheerful –
cool – tough- mad – quiet -domineering – helpful – caring – snobbish – sweet – scatty
– nervy – moody- quick/bad-tempered -critical – serious – lazy – shy –
sociable - self confident – decisive /in
decisive – creative outgoing - boring
humorous – pessimistic - aggressive – adaptable – suspicious – tactful – chatty -good-looking – stubborn – emotional –
honest – outgoing – impulsive – insicure –modest
outspoken – tought – self-controlled – greedy –
practical – sensitive /in sensitive – interesting - talkative – easy-going - optimistic – big-headed – proud
–aggressive- mean- humble – miserabile reserved – youthful – artistic – marvellous – intollerant – possessive – careful
Look out! These adjectives are false friends, try to find their meaning:
sensibile__________________________
sensitive__________________________
sympathetic________________________
4. Now think
about yourself. Do any of these words descrive your
nature? There are probably
some which are right for you: underline the ones you
consider the most suitable for you .( Try to
be objective!). Then decide which ones you consider to
be positive and which negative: list them
in two different
columns.
Positive
adjectives | Negative adjectives
|
|
|
|
TASKS
(riscrittura/imitazione)
Task 1(
destinato agli
allievi che incontrano maggiori difficoltà): a) underline all the Personal Pronouns, the
Possessive Adjectives/Pronouns and Reflexive Pronouns in the text about Marilyn;
b) re-write the text using the third person
pronoun (she) and making all the necessary changes
in the text. c) Now immagine
Marilyn has grown up: she’s an adult now and she remembers what she was like in
her youth. Re-write the letter using the Simple Past Tense.
Task 2 (destinato agli allievi che padroneggiano
meglio le strutture grammaticali): read Marilyn’s mail again, then using the adjectives you have chosen to descrbe your personality, write a similar description of
yourself for an Internet Penfriend site.
Sentence
Bank: discovering your
personality
a.
Who are you? b. Which abilities have you got? c. What are you like?
Here you have a list of sentences which better describe your personality: go
through them and
1) match the ones listed below with the most
suitable adjective/s
2) choose the expressions which better reflect
your character and underline them
If knocked down, you soon get back on your feet again
____________________________
You believe there will be a solution with most
problems____________________________
You know exactly what you
want from life and are determined to get it _______________
You enter into
everything with enthusiasm______________________________________
You succed through hard
work______________________________
You refuse to take advice even if it is the right thing to do_________________________
You don’t always consider the consequences of your actions________________________
You are frequently dissatisfied with your surroundings
____________________________
You hate anything conventional_______________________________
You are good at analyzing situations and finding
solutions________________________
In crisis you have the ability to stay calm)______________________________
a. You are:
* a confident person
/ very positive /optimistic /restless by
nature and motivated by curiosity /
resourceful,
with plenty of energy and determination / a strong character / fond of travel and
change
/ not afraid of hard work/ a good organizer/ hungry for experience / patient / interested
in
many things / unpredictable / adaptable and always symphatetic/
a incurabile romantic /
creative
/ proud and independent / quie and reserved /
intuitive
* irritating and
difficult to live with / / over-sensitive and easy to take offence/ impulsive /
are
frequently
dissatisfied with your surroundings / do your best to be non-conformist / full
of self-
pity
/ unwilling to accept responsability
b. You have
:
* few doubts about
success / a tendency to be too optimistic and too trusting / the ability to
stay calm in crisis /
great common sense / an abundance of vitality / grat
sense of humour / a scientific – practical nature / a logical mind/ great
common sense/ a feeling of insecurity and insignificance / a strong desire to
gratify your own ego / a powerful imagination
difficulty
in making up your mind
c. You:
* get over-enthusiastic and carried away with
a new plan-adventure / you hate the thought of
settling down/ appreciate an
exciting career / desire perfection in all things / appreciate luxury and only
want the best / enjoy
money and possessions and long for material security and comfort
/ keep up with the latest fashions where you can / love money and the things it will buy/ are
careful with your money and buy
practical clothes and useful things rather than anything extravagant or useless
* take life (too much) seriously / / you keep
your emotions and your ambitions very much to
yourself / lack powers of concetration / appreciate freedom and hate restrictive relationships
/ want a secure and stable relationship
* a party-loving
person and you enjoy the company of lots of people / you adore meeting new
people and gaining new
interests / you love crowds,parties, theatres and
anywhere the people
congregate
/ you don’t like big parties and social
occasions / you are not a party-loving person
and
you prefer to meet a friend at a time
TASK 3 (
attività di ‘taglia/incolla’)
(destinato a tutti gli allievi; quelli più deboli saranno
guidati nello svolgimento)
Now think about yourself: do any of these sentences describe your
nature? There are probably some which are right for you: write a paragraph in
which you give details about your personality (WHO are you? WHICH abitities have you got? WHAT are you like?) using both adjectives and sentences from the Word/Sentence
Bank. Put them in an organized way; if you need other words, use your
dictionary or ask your teacher.
TASK
4 (produzione scritta)
Write a short paragraph about yourself highlighting the positive and
negative aspects of your personality.
TEXT B : una pagina di diario tratta da “The growing pains of Adrian Mole”
Adrian Mole is an English teenager who has the
habit of keeping a diary where he records thoughts,
comments, ideas, reactions, events.
Read a page of his semi-serious version of why life is no fun for an
adolescent.
BEFORE
READING (fase motivazionale)
Do you ever argue with your parents? How often?
What causes the greatest problems? (clothes,
hair style,choice of friends, behaviour
inside/outside, money, homework, free time activities…)
What attitude/ behaviour do you hate most in the adults you are in touch
with?
Clothes seem to be very important for the life of a teenager: what’s
your opinion?
READING
COMPREHENSION
Read the text and answer:
1. Which two problems did
2. What was he afraid of ?
3.
Underline them.
4. Does
adjectives
which he uses revealing words?
Saturday, July 24th
Went shopping for
holiday clothes today. My mother came
with me. I wanted to buy a grey zip-up carding from Marks and Spencer (…). I
tried it on but my mother said it made me look like Frank Bough and refused to
pay for it. We had a bit of an argument about my taste in clothes versus her
tastes in clothes. In fact, looking around, I could see quite a few teenagers
were having arguments with their parents.
We walked around the rest of
the shops without speaking for a bit until my mother dragged me into a punk
shop and tried to interest me in a lime-green leopard-skin print tee-shirt. I
refused to try the tasteless thing on, so she bought it for herself.
The sadistic-looking shop
assistant said “That’s a cool mother you got”. I pretended not to hear him.It wasn’t difficult. Sid Viciuos
was singing a filthy version of “My way” on the shop’s stereo system. It was so
loud that the chain jackets and studded belts were reverberating.
Our next stop was at Mothercare, where my mother went mad buying miniature
clothes and stretch-mark cream. I was hoping that she would buy a nice
respectable maternity dress for the dreaded day when her lump starts to show,
but she informed me that she was intending
to carry on wearing her dungarees. I will be a
laughing-stock at school.
TASKS: non
sono previste attività di primo livello sul testo che viene
presentato solo come spunto di riflessione (Reasons for the crisis/consequences: situazioni comuni in cui riconoscersi, in
questo caso il rapporto con gli adulti). Riflessione anche sull’uso degli
aggettivi (su cui si è impostata la prima parte dell’unità) come ‘parole rivelatrici’.
TASK 1 “ The world of grown-ups and I” (reading/writing)
Using Adrian’s diary as a model write a page of your own diary about one
of the most controversial points with your parents (quote an example ,if you
like it); try using the adjectives you
have learnt as revealing words.
_______________________________________
TEXT C: PRINCE WILLIAM
BEFORE
READING (fase motivazionale)
a) Can you answer these questions about Prince William?
1. Who is he? 2.
How old is he? 3. Is he good-looking? 4.
What’s his job going to be?
b) What do you think of Prince William’s life? Would you like to be a
famous person? If yes, why
and
who? If not, why not?
READING
COMPREHENSION
a) Read
the text and check your answers (1,2,4)
b) Find seven adjectives in the
text used to describe William (3)
c) Read the text again and answer the questionare:
1. What is William like?
2. What image would William like to have?
3. What does he like doing in his free time?
4. What did he do in his gap year?
5. Why hasn’t he got any privacy?
6. Who controls his public life?
Prince William is without
doubt the most popular member of the Brititsh Royal
Family.
William, or Wills,as members of his family
call him, was born on 21st June, 1982. He is shy and more introspective than
his younger brother Harry. William is apparently uncomfortable with the press
and avoids publicity, so we have no idea what he is really like. The Royal
Family carefully controls public access to William’s life and William would
like to be seen as ‘just an ordinary young man’. Do you believe that? Can you
imagine what it’s like to be the Prince William and would you like to be him?
William is rich. He belongs
to one of the richest families in the world, so he’s never going to have any
financial problems. William is very good-looking. He’s tall and blonde and
looks like his mother, Diana, Princess of
William is intelligent. He
got twelve GCSEs and three A-levels at
William is public property.
Almost everyone he meets, anywhere in the world, knows every detail of his
family history. William has no privacy. He can’t go where he wants when he
wants. He can’t go to the pub or go dancing in a club with his friends. There
are reporters outside his house who follow him everywhere. William can’t choose
his career. He’s almost definitely going to be King
of
TASKS
Task 1( destinato agli allievi che incontrano
maggiori difficoltà): a)
underline all the Personal Pronouns and the Possessive Adjectives/Pronouns in
the text about William; b) re-write the text using the first person pronoun (I)
and making all the necessary changes
Task 2 ( a scelta, destinato
agli allievi che padroneggiano meglio le strutture grammaticali): a) read the passage again and underline the
sentences which better show William’s personality and the problems connected
with his role; b) immagine you are William and write
a page of his diary
using the information you have selected; c) imagine
you are William: a reporter from a teenage magazine is interviewing you .Invent
an interview.
__________________________________
TEXT D: What kind of
animal are you?
Viene proposto un quiz che - attraverso un percorso di Yes/No questions - permette di
associare alcune tipologie di personalità ad un animale.
TASK: answer the questions in the map and find out which animal
correspond to your personality.
Then read the description.
TASK: conversation .1) Is the description an accurate portrait of you ? 2) Which points do you agree with? 3) What do you disagree with?
La conversazione conclusiva
dovrebbe permettere agli allievi di riciclare le competenze /conoscenze
(lessico) acquisite durante lo svolgimento dell’unità.
