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Classroom Activity 6
Mr. / Girgis
Classroom Activity 6
Lessons from Oliver Twist
Level:
Upper Intermediate/Advanced
Goals:
To
familiarize students with a pioneer of the
environmental movement in
England; to have students
discuss local or worldwide environmental problems; to
have students consider what the world might look like
in the future if no change is made.
Time required:
60 minutes
Optional Materials:
copies of the passage, poster paper and crayons
Procedures:
Introduction
Write Oliver Twist on
the board. Let students know that
this is the title of a book but do not give any more
information. Have students, in pairs or groups,
brainstorm ideas on what they think the book is about.
Have each pair or
group share at least one idea
the class.
Listening
Let students know they will be listening to a brief
passage from an environmental book written by an English author, along
with two quotes from the book.
Before you read, write the “ Oliver Twist Questions”
on
the board, along with any other questions you’d like to
add. Read
the passage to your students three times,
giving time after each reading
for students to write or
discuss their answers.
First, have students
write their answers individually.
After the second reading, have
students discuss their
answers in pairs. After the third reading, go over the
answers as a class.
If you feel your students need to hear the passage more
times, you can read it again.
Silent Spring Questions Comprehension:
• What is the name of the author of Oliver Twist?
• When and where was the author born?
• Compare Oliver Twist with the author’s other books?
• What was the author hoping to change?
• How was the first chapter different from the rest
of the book?
Discussion:
Compare the two quotes from the first chapter of
Oliver Twist .
How did each quote make you feel?
Think of someone else who attempted to make a change
in society.
Brainstorming
As
a class, make a list of environmental problems you
see in your area.
Have students share ideas and create
a list on the board.
Examples might include the following:
Overuse of plastic bags
Litter
Water pollution
Traffic/air pollution
Two-minute Discussions
Let
students know they will be having short discussions in
pairs and that after two minutes.
Write the following prompts on the board:
• What is the problem?
• Why is it happening?
• How does it affect people’s lives?
•
Do you think it is an important problem?
(Do you think something needs
to change?
Or is it important to continue with no change for
other reasons?)
What changes could people make to help fix the problem?
Once students are in pairs, pick one of the topics on
the board and let students discuss it.
When the two minutes are up, have students switch
pairs quickly, select another topic, and start discussing
again. (You can decide how many two minute discussions
to allow students to
have based on the length of your
class, the number of topics your students have thought of.)
Creating a Story
Put
students into groups. Have each group choose one
of the topics listed
on the board or come up with another
topic.
Tell groups that they will
write a story similar to the first
chapter of Oliver Twist . Reread the two quotes from
Oliver Twist to the class.
Tell students that the idea is to create a story that
describes what your area or the world could look like in
the future if no change is made. Encourage students to
use descriptive vocabulary, to
show contrast between
the present and the future, and to include
specific
places and specific details.
Extensions
Have students share their stories:
Have each group read its story to the class.
Post the stories around the room and have students
read them.
Lead a class discussion after students have listened.
Use the following example prompts
Which of these scenarios is most likely to happen?
Least likely?
Which situation worries you the most?
What actions can you take to help prevent these
scenarios?
Teaching Forum 2014, Volume
52, Number 3
