didactic unit. europeans care for the environment

Didactic Unit: Europeans Care for the Environment ©Elena González Guerrero

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EUROPEANS

CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

The European Union

1.a. Which are the hidden words? Unscramble the letters and give the name of some countries. Then listen and check your answers:

1. European countries. How many countries make up the European Union nowadays? What do you know about them? Do the following activities :

1.b. Here are some other countries. Join their names to the phonologic transcription. Pay attention to the pronunciation of /i:/ and /I/:

GREECE /|Îtêli/

FINLAND /¬lÎÔju|eÎiê/

ITALY /gri·s/

LITHUANIA /|swi·dên/

SWEDEN /|fÎnlênd/

1.c. What do the above countries have in common? There are another 12 countries that can also be grouped here. How many can you name?:

AIPNS

IUELBMG

IEANRD

AALTM

PAONL

AIRONMA

AIUATRS

PRTOGUlA

DEANRMK

STNEOAI

______________

_ ______________

_

______________

_ ______________

_

______________

_

______________

_

______________

_

______________

_ ______________

_

______________

_


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Year of entry:

Political system:

Capital city:

Total area:

Population:

Currency:

Official language:

Member States of the EU

SPAIN

1.d. What do you know about Spain? Join with arrows and then fill in the „country identification card‟:

What‟s the name of the country? In 1986.

When did it join the European Union? The euro.

What‟s the capital of Spain? Constitutional monarchy.

What political system has Spain got? Spain.

What‟s the area of Spain? 45.8 million.

How many inhabitants has Spain got? Spanish.

What‟s the official language of Spain? 504782km²

What‟s the currency used in Spain? Madrid.

1.e. What do you know about the other countries?

a. Work in pairs and exchange all the necessary information so that you can complete the two cards your teacher will give you:

b. Share your information with the rest of your classmates and make sure you complete the chart below:

c. Check your answers visiting the following website: http://europa.eu/abc/european_countries/index_en.htm Click on each country, notice its location in the map and listen to the official language. What is the role of the English language in the EU? Do you think it is important to be able to communicate in English?


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COUNTRY Year of EU entry

Political system

Capital city Total area Population Currency Official language

Austria

Belgium

Bulgaria

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Ireland

Italy

Latvia

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malta

Netherlands

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

United Kingdom


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2. The history of the European Union. Read this text about the history of the European Union and do the activities that follow:

Text adapted from The History of the European Union (http://europa.eu/abc/history/index_en.htm)

The European Union was created with the aim of ending the frequent and bloody wars between

neighbours, which culminated in the Second World War. In 1950 the European Coal and Steel Community

began to unite European countries economically and politically in order to secure lasting peace. The six

founders were Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Moreover, in 1957 the

Treaty of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC), or “Common Market”.

The 1960’s was a good period for the economy, helped by the fact that EU countries stopped

charging custom duties when they traded with each other. They also agreed joint control over food

production, so that everybody had enough to eat.

Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom joined the European Union on 1 January 1973, raising

the number of member states to nine. The EU regional policy started to transfer huge sums to create jobs

and infrastructure in poorer areas. The European Union increased its influence in EU affairs and in 1979 all

citizens could, for the first time, elect their members directly.

In 1981 Greece became the 10th member of the EU and Spain and Portugal followed five years

later. In 1987 the Single European Act was signed. This treaty provided the basis for a six-year programme

aimed at sorting out the problems with the free-flow of trade across EU borderers, creating the “Single

Market”.

In 1993 the Single Market was completed with the “four freedoms” of: movement of goods,

services, people and money. In this year the “Maastricht” Treaty on European Union was signed. The

Treaty of Amsterdam was signed in 1999. People were concerned about how to protect the environment

and also how Europeans could act together when it came to security and defence matters. Austria, Finland

and Sweden joined the European Union in 1995. The “Schengen” agreements allowed people to travel

without having their passports checked at the borders.

The euro became the common currency for most Europeans. The Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia,

Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Cyprus and Malta became members in 2004 and Bulgaria

and Romania did the same in 2007. This year all the members signed the Treaty of Lisbon in order to deal

with global challenges such as climate change, security and sustainable development. In December 2009

EU ministers attended a climate change conference in Copenhagen. Many people think it is time for Europe

to have a constitution, but what sort of constitution is not easy to agree.


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REGULAR VERBS IRREGULAR VERBS Base form Past simple Past

Participle Base form Past simple Past

Participle

2.a. : Give a title to each paragraph. Choose from the following ones:

2.b. : Say when each of these events happened:

a) The European Economic Community was created. ________

b) There was no hunger in the EU countries. ________

c) Spain became a member of the European Union. ________

d) The “Single Market” was created. ________

e) People, goods, money and services could move freely for the first time. ________

f) The Treaty of Lisbon was signed. ________

2.c. : Underline all the verbs in Past Simple in the text, using blue for regular and red for irregular ones. Then, complete this chart:

The beginnings of cooperation A period of economic growth

The first enlargement The creation of a single market

Current situation

A Europe without frontiers


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The Environment

3. Climate Change. The European Union has taken a lot of initiatives related to climate since the early 1990‟s. Thus, EU governments have set limits on how much CO₂ factories are allowed to emit because combating climate change is a key priority for the Union. What do you know about climate change and global warming?

3.a. Read the text in the slide presentation on climate change and do the activities that follow:

a) What is the difference between „climate‟ and „weather‟?

b) What is the cause of current high temperatures in the world?

c) Name four natural disasters caused by weather and climate.

d) What is the problem with European glaciers and polar ice? Why is this happening?

e) What can you do to fight against climate change?

a. Answer these questions according to the information you have read:

3.b. These are some sentences taken from the text you have read. Underline the verbs and think about them. What tenses are they? Why are those tenses used?:

Natural greenhouse gases help retain heat.

Scientists believe that humans are responsible.

Polar ice is melting and sea levels are rising at double the rate of 50 years ago.

Negotiations for a follow-up took place in December 2009 in Copenhagen.


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3.c. Read the following sentences taken from the text and notice the verbs in bold type. They are in Present Perfect. Can you complete the rule below?:

Europe’s temperatures have risen by 1ºC since 1850.

Extreme weather events have become more frequent.

Europe’s glaciers have lost two-thirds of their mass since 1850.

Man-made greenhouse gases emissions have increased to 10% since 1970.

EU countries have set targets for 2020.

Present Perfect consists of: auxiliary verb …………. + verb in …………..

3.d. Join the examples of Present Perfect on the left with the uses on the right:

a. “The Copenhagen Climate Conference has just began”, said the journalist.

1. Actions that began in the past and still continue, including the present time (usually with „for‟ or „since‟).

b. Spain has been a member of the EU since 1986.

2. Actions that happened at an unspecified point of time in the past.

c. Have you visited many European countries? Yes, I have.

3. Past actions with a consequence in the present.

d. Europe‟s glaciers haven‟t kept their mass.

4. Recent past actions (usually with „just‟).

3.e. Underline the verbs in Present Perfect in 3.d. and complete the following rules:

The auxiliary verb for Present Perfect is …………. if the subject is third person singular.

Sentence structure for Present Perfect

Affirmative sentences: Subject + …………… + …………… + Complements.

Negative sentences: …………… + …………… + …………… + Complements.

Interrogative sentences: …………… + …………… + …………… + ……………?

Short answers: - Affirmative: Yes, …………… + ……………

- Negative: No, …………… + ……………


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3.f. Complete the following sentences writing the verbs in brackets in Present Perfect:

a) All the EU members ……………………. (sign) an important agreement.

b) Our school ……………………. (establish) some measures to recycle paper.

c) We ……………………. (not save) enough energy.

d) ………. Spain …………… (cut) man-made greenhouse gases emissions?

e) Many countries ……………………. (agree) to reduce their emissions.

3.g. Read the rules below and write „for‟ or „since‟ in the phrases below:

We use for to refer to a period of time and since to refer to a point of time.

a) Portugal has been an EU member ………. 1986.

b) The single market has existed ………. more than two decades.

c) Glaciers have lost mass ………. more than a century.

d) The ministers of the environment have been in the conference ………. some hours

3.h. Write the verbs in brackets in the appropriate tense. Choose between Past Simple and Present Perfect:

a) The United Kingdom ……………………. (join) the European Union in 1973.

b) The European Union ……………….. (exist) since 1950.

c) Many rainforests ……………….. (disappear) in the last decades.

d) High temperatures ……………….. (cause) many forest fires last summer.

3.i. Watch a video about global warming and pay attention to the narrator‟s explanation about its causes, effects and solutions. Then, answer the questions below: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8zlQIagerM&feature=related)

a) What is global warming?

b) What is the greenhouse effect?

c) Name some elements that increase the greenhouse gases.

d) Name some effects of global warming.

e) Give some environmentally friendly sources of energy to produce power.

f) Give some ideas about things you can do at home to stop global warming.


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3.j. There are many things we can do at home to stop climate change. Do the following activities:

a) “The Sustenergy family used to be very careless with their domestic appliances and the household chores. However, one day they watched the news and now . . . they have changed.” How have they changed? What have they learned? Watch the video and continue the story:

(http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/campaign/resources/article_7360_en.htm)

b) Would you like to check the information in the video? Go to the carbon calculator and mark the things you could easily do. How many kgs of CO₂ could you change each year? (http://www.mycarbonfootprint.eu/index.cfm?language=en)

3.k. There are also things we can do to take care of the environment when we meet our friends. Listen to Gauthier. What does he do at his parties? Then watch the subtitled video and check your answers: (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/campaign/podcast/01_english.mp4)

(http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/campaign/resources/videos_en.htm)


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A cleaner Planet

4. Project. After all the information presented it is time we took action and turned our polluted planet into a cleaner one. Follow these instructions and enjoy the project:

4.a. Devote some time to look at the poster titled Our Polluted Planet and think about the main problems it has.

4.b. Choose one of the pollution problems below and work on it either individually or in pairs (according to your teacher‟s instructions):

a) Read the information about the causes and effects of pollution problems, visit the library and surf the Internet (some sites are also provided below) in order to complete the card. b) Bear in mind that you will include information about the main reasons that cause the problem, the effects the problem has had on the environment and the things we should do to stop it. c) Stick your complete card on the back of the poster card for a clean planet. Present your findings to your classmates and stick your clean Earth card on the picture of the polluted planet.

1. Global warming 10. Fresh water shortage

2. Air pollution 11. Erosion

3. Acid rain 12. Ozone depletion

4. Water pollution 13. Smog in rivers, streams and lakes 14. Desertification 5. Ocean water pollution 15. Industrial waste

6. Extinction of animals 16. Domestic waste

7. Deforestation 17. Indoor pollution

8. Soil pollution 18. Food shortage

9. Sound pollution


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Climate Change Quiz

5. Final Quiz. Are you a climate change hero? How much have you learnt? How much can you do? Test your knowledge in this online quiz: (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/campaign/quiz/quiz_en.htm)

didactic unit. europeans care for the environment

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