SOS: Help Us Survive!

LESSON 3

                              SOS: Help Us Survive!                                                                                                                           Object:                                                                                                                                                       -to develop students’ reading, listening and speaking skills;                                                 -to involve students in expressing their own ideas and feelings;                                       -to develop confidence in their ability to make own contribution in protecting our nature;                                                                                                                                        Equipment: pictures, a globe, handouts, a SD player.                                                        

I.                                                                                                                                                          INTRODUCTION.                                                                                                                              Why is our Earth sad?                                                                                                                It is sad and unhappy because the human being is destroying it. Our duty is to help the nature survive.                                                                                                                    

II.                                                                                                                                                     WARMING-UP.                                                                                                                                Indentify the problems shown in the pictures.      

 Top picture. Litter. Our society is producing much packaging and food waste. They are dropped everywhere. It causes some diseases which spread easily.   
Middle picture. Endangered species.  Many endangered species are in danger of extinction. Hunters kill wild animals for their fur or body parts. People think some animals dangerous that’s why the animals are killed.                                              Bottom picture. Deforestation. Forests are disappearing as trees are burnt or cut down. Less and less oxygen is being produced.  

 III.                                                                                                                                        You are going to read an extract about endangered gorillas. Underline the correct word.                                                                                                                                            Only 600 mountain gorillas remain in the wild. People view gorillas as fierce. 1)  vicious/ savage animals. However, if you look into a gorilla’s 2) face/ eyes, you see gentleness and 3) intelligence/ strength. Gorillas spend their lives peacefully in forests eating thistles and bamboo 4) shoots/ leaves. Yet, gorillas have suffered greatly.  In the first part of this century, more than 5) 50/15gorillas were killed in Virunga. In 1925, Belgium established Africa’s first national 6) zoo/park. When civil war broke out, hunters were free to 7) hunt/trap the gorillas. The animals’ heads and hands were sold to 8) tourists/explorers as souvenirs. Fortunately, a wildlife conservation 9) society/association in New York began “gorilla tourism”. As a result, tourists paid a lot of money to see the mountain gorillas and Rwanda became a model of conservation. People and gorillas need each other. The Rwandans need the money and gorillas desperately need 10) protection/food.                                                                                         

What other animals are threatened with extinction? Why?                                           
-Elephants are hunted for their ivory tusks, a very valuable material which is used to make piano keys, ornaments and jewellery. They are also endangered by loss of habitat and the African elephant is officially classified as an endangered species. 

–Pandas are in danger because they are losing their natural habitat. They are also threatened by poachers in the wild and are difficult to breed in captivity.    
    
         –Tigers are in danger because hunters kill them in order to sell their valuable skins and some body parts.        
                                                                                                               –Turtles lay their eggs on the beaches which are popular with tourists in recent years and bathers damage turtles’ eggs when they walk on the soft sand. In many countries their eggs are considered to be delicacy.

-Whales are hunted for their oil and meat. 

  -Fish are in danger because fishermen are overfishing world’s oceans. Young fish are caught having no chance to breed. Many dolphins have died as a result of getting caught up in tuna nets. Furthermore, some seas and lakes have become so polluted in recent years so fish there have been seriously reduced or have even disappeared.       
 
   –Small garden birds which feed on snails and other insects are slowly killed with pesticides.     
                                                                                                                                           
What to do? How to protect them?                                                                                             ------create more protected national parks and increase areas of natural habitat;                                                                                    ------introduce harsher punishments for illegal hunters;                                                    ------raise public awareness;                                                                                                                ------refuse to buy products which have been made of these endangered species        ------stop using pesticides;                                                                                                               ------don’t catch so many fish;                                                                                              ------keep people off the beaches where eggs are laid                                                        

IV.                                                                                                                                                          What other problems does our Planet face? Look at the screen.                                         (acid rain, air pollution, water pollution, disappearing of natural resources,  the greenhouses effect, new diseases, destruction of the ozone layer).                                             

V.                                                                                                                                                                 Match the words in the list with the nouns and put them into two columns:  threats to the environment and possible ways to solve them.
(acid, oil, forest, greenhouse, breeding, endangered, factory, conservation, national, nuclear, environmental, thick).                                                                                                                                                                                     1------------------------species;                                                                                                                      2------------------------rain;                                                                                                                                                3------------------------emissions;                                                                                                    4------------------------awareness;                                                                                                        5------------------------parks;                                                                                                                 6------------------------waste;                                                                                                                      7------------------------programmes;                                                                                                       8------------------------areas;                                                                                                                         9------------------------smog;                                                                                                               10----------------------spills;                                                                                                                       11----------------------fires;                                                                                                             12----------------------gases.                                                                                                                Environmental problems: 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12.                                                                                Possible solutions: 4, 5, 7, 8.                                                                                                     

VI.                                                                                                                                                          Listen to a radio interview with an ecologist and tick (v) the solutions mentioned.                                                                                                                                
Interviewer: Welcome to another edition of “The Sunday Papers”. On today’s programme, we’ll be speaking with Mr. Alistair Gunn, an animal protection activist from a group called Save the Animals. Welcome, Alistair.                                             
Alistair: Thank you, Leslie.                                                                                                               
Interviewer: Alistair, what is Save the Animals current project?                                           
Alistair: Well, our main goal is to educate the public about the dangers that many species are facing, and to protect these animals where possible. One of the main problems we’re concerned about now is habitat destruction. The human population is growing, and is crowding animals out of their natural homes.                                                                                                                                                         
Interviewer: What can be done about that?                                                                             
 	Alistair: Firstly, financial support for poorer countries is important. People in poor countries are destroying jungles and forests because they need farmland to feed their families. Therefore, jungles and forests need to be protected so that animals can continue to live in their natural habitat.                                                    
Interviewer: Will that stop the threat to animals?                                                                   
Alistair: No, it’s only one part of the solution. Pollution is another problem. We’re trying to identify those industries which are doing the most damage, and encourage them to use cleaner methods of production. Also, we’re trying to educate the public about the importance of recycling, since recycling helps save trees and other natural resources. Everyone should do their part to save animal habitats.                                                                                                                                                                           
Interviewer: Is there anything else your group is working on?                                                     
Alistair: Yes. Illegal hunting must be stopped, too. This can be accomplished only if governments introduce harsher punishments for illegal hunters. We’re also trying to raise public awareness about endangered species and encourage people to stop buying products which are made of these animals.                                                                                                               
Interviewer: Unfortunately, that’s all the time we have today. Thank you for telling us about the work of Save the Animals, Alistair, and I wish you every success.                                                                                                                                               
Alistair: Thank you, Leslie.
Solutions:                                                                                                                                                              .give financial support to poorer countries;                                                                                        .plant more trees;                                                                                                                        .protect jungles and forests;                                                                                                   .use bicycles instead of cars;                                                                                                            .encourage industries to use cleaner methods of production;                                                    .educate the public about the importance of recycling;                                                                      .create more protected national parks;                                                                                              .introduce harsher punishments for illegal hunters;                                                           .raise public awareness about endangered species.                                                                                                                                                                                                                         													Discuss the solution adding your ideas and using the phrases I think, I believe, in addition, moreover, besides, etc.                                                                                E. g.  I think we should give financial support to the poorer countries where people are destroying the countryside. In addition to this government has to protect forests and jungles.														        							            
VII. You are going to organize a lecture with a famous zoologist at your school on the topic “Should animals be kept in zoos?” Prepare some questions and ask them the lecturer after his report.
E.g. Have animals got plenty of food in zoos?
Are animals free in zoos?
Who gives medical care to animals?
Are animals happy being trapped in these nasty cages?        
What is natural habitat for animals?
Are animals protected from extinction in zoos? 
VIII.                 																							Let’s sing the song “HERE COMES THE SUN” (performed by THE BEATLES)        
Here comes the sun,                                                                                                                          Here comes the sun and I say                                                                                              It’s alright.                                                                                                                                 Little darling,                                                                                                                                    It’s been a long, cold, lonely winter.                                                                                          Little darling,                                                                                                                                      It feels like years since it’s been here.                                                                                         Here comes the sun,                                                                                                                              Here comes the sun and I say                                                                                                            It’s alright.			                                                                                                                                													            Little darling,                                                                                                                              The smiles returning to their faces.                                                                                                       Little darling,                                                                                                                                  It seems like years since it’s been here.                                                                                          Here comes the sun,                                                                                                                     Here comes the sun and I say                                                                                              It’s alright.                                                                                                                                                       								                                                                           Sun, sun, sun, here it comes. (5times )                                                                                                                                   													                     Little darling,                                                                                                                                              I feel that ice is slowly melting.                                                                                                                      Little darling,                                                                                                                                     It seems like years since it’s been clear.                                                                                               Here comes the sun,                                                                                                                                                                          Here comes the sun and I say                                                                                                         It’s alright.                                                                                                                                                     													   Here comes the sun,                                                                                                                            Here comes the sun,                                                                                                                             It’s alright,                                                                                                                                     It’s alright.                                                                                                                                                 								                                                                                   
IX.                                                                                                                                                             Your home assignment is to write a composition “Animals in their natural environment”. Plan your composition before writing it.