Carina Mariela Luc Ciclo Lectivo: 2013

LENGUA INGLESA Y SU UNIDAD 4 DIDACTICA

Tutora: Carina Mariela Luc Ciclo Lectivo: 2013

INSTITUTO SUPERIOR DE FORMACIÓN DOCENTE ¨LENGUAS VIVAS DE BARILOCHE¨

Unit IV Lesson 11

Aims: 1  Reflect on prejudice and discrimination.  Analyse and use topic vocabulary.  Discuss verb complementation.  Work out meaning through context (idiomatic expressions).  Develop critical thinking on current issues.  Develop speaking skills.  Express opinion in spoken form.  Analyse and give opinion and express impressions on themes from a novel in written form.

Tuning in

Questions for thought and reflection

In this unit we will discuss prejudice and discrimination. Answer the following questions concerning those questions: 2 a) Think of different reasons why people may discriminate others. For example, level of education, the variety of language some people use, etc. b) Have you ever been discriminated? If so, why? c) Are you prejudiced against any kind of people? If so, who are you prejudiced against? For example, you may be prejudiced against people who belong to a certain teenage cult such as punks, skinheads, etc.

READING COMPREHENSION

1. Pre-reading activity

Take a look at the title of the following article and try to answer the questions below.

“Nelson Mandela, the South African Civil Rights Leader”

a) What do you know about the man whose profile you will read? Who is he? Where is he from? What did he become famous for? b) What concepts and principles do you think will be discussed in this article?

2. Reading

Nelson Mandela, the South African Civil Rights Leader

Nelson Mandela is one of the great moral and political leaders of our time: an international hero whose lifelong dedication to the fight against racial oppression 3 in South Africa won him the Nobel Peace Prize and the presidency of his country. Since his triumphant release in 1990 from more than a quarter-century of imprisonment, Mandela has been at the centre of the most compelling and inspiring political drama in the world. As president of the African National Congress and head of South Africa's antiapartheid movement, he was instrumental in moving the nation toward multiracial government and majority rule. He is revered everywhere as a vital force in the fight for human rights and racial equality. Long Walk to Freedom is his moving and exhilarating autobiography, a book destined to take its place among the finest memoirs of history's greatest figures. Here for the first time, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela tells the extraordinary story of his life – an epic of struggle, setback, renewed hope, and ultimate triumph, which has, until now, been virtually unknown to most of the world. The foster son of a Thembu chief, Mandela was raised in the traditional, tribal culture of his ancestors, but at an early age learned the modern, inescapable reality of what came to be called apartheid, one of the most powerful and effective systems of oppression ever conceived. In classically

elegant and engrossing prose, he tells of his early years as an impoverished student and law clerk in Johannesburg, of his slow political awakening, and of his pivotal role in the rebirth of a stagnant ANC and the formation of its Youth League in the 1950s. He describes the struggle to reconcile his political activity with his devotion to his family, the anguished breakup of his first marriage, and the painful separations from his children. 4 He brings vividly to life the escalating political warfare in the fifties between the ANC and the government, culminating in his dramatic escapades as an underground leader and the notorious Rivona Trial of 1964, at which he was sentenced to life imprisonment. He recounts the surprisingly eventful twenty-seven years in prison and the complex, delicate negotiations that led both to his freedom and to the beginning of the end of apartheid. Finally he provides the ultimate inside account of the unforgettable events since his release that produced at last a free, multiracial democracy in South Africa. To millions of people around the world, Nelson Mandela stands, as no other living figure does, for the triumph of dignity and hope over despair and hatred, of self-discipline and love over persecution and evil. Long Walk to Freedom embodies that spirit in a book for all time.

Source: http://archives.obs-us.com/obs/english/books/Mandela/Mandela.html Reading Comprehension

A. Find evidence in the text to support the following statements.

1. Mandela's humble background has recently been brought to light through his book. 2. The circumstances that allowed his country to be liberated from racial oppression through political change have also been disclosed by Mandela. 3. Political recognition has ensued from Mandela's activism.

4. His written work also accounts for his political activism and dedication to 5 his party leading him to face dangerous ordeals which were associated to his secret political activism. 5. Mandela has succeeded in achieving worldwide admiration for his crucial role in the struggle against racial prejudice.

B. Answer the following questions. Use your own words as far as possible.

1. What did Nelson Mandela sacrifice to change the way people lived in South Africa? 2. From the nouns below pick the one which best illustrates the concept Apartheid accounting for your choice. anti-semitism fanaticism segregation chauvinism harassment 3. Can you assume that the title of Mandela’s book Long Walk to Freedom actually embodies his life? Justify.

4. Which of the following proverbs would you apply to Mandela’s life?

 Still waters run deep  Don’t try to teach your grandmother how to suck eggs  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder  No gains without pains

Explain the proverb justifying your choice and relating it to the context. 6

Working on structures

A. Rephrase the following statements so as they mean the same as the ones given below.

1. We need to be aware of our problems and have a clear strategy for solving them.

Not only…

2. Nelson Mandela was in prison for more than 25 years but he didn’t lose his determination.

Despite… 3. Since his triumphant release in 1990 from more than a quarter-century of imprisonment, Mandela has been at the centre of the most compelling and inspiring political drama in the world.

Only after…

4. As president of the African National Congress and head of South Africa's antiapartheid movement, he was instrumental in moving the nation toward multiracial government and majority rule.

7 If…

5. During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to the struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination.

In one of his speeches Mandela declared…

Now check your answers with the key at the end of the unit.

3. Research Work

3.1. Find out information about South Africa during the Apartheid system. a) What did the system consist of? b) Who supported it? c) What was the black population’s lifestyle like during this system?

3.2. Now read the lyrics of the song called Something Inside So strong by Labi Siffre and then do the exercises below. You can listen to the song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otuwNwsqHmQ&feature=related

Something Inside So Strong (lyrics)

The higher you build your barriers The taller I become The further you take my rights away The faster I will run You can deny me You can decide to turn your face away 8 No matter 'cause there's ...

Chorus: Something inside so strong I know that I can make it Though you're doing me wrong, so wrong You thought that my pride was gone... oh no

There’s something inside so strong Something inside so strong

The more you refuse to hear my voice The louder I will sing You hide behind walls of Jericho Your lies will come tumbling Deny my place in time You squander wealth that's mine My light will shine so brightly it will blind you Because there's ...

(Chorus)

Brothers and sisters When they insist we're just not good enough Well, we know better Just look 'em in the eyes and say We're gonna do it anyway We're gonna do it anyway ... because there's

(Chorus)

3.3. Answer the following questions. a) What might the message of the song be according to the lyrics? b) Who do you think is the ¨you¨ in the song? Who is it directed to? c) Who are the ¨I¨ and ¨We¨ in the song? Who does it talk about? d) What does it refer to by ¨there’s something inside so strong¨? e) What do you think the Apartheid system implied for the black people in 9 South Africa according to the song? f) Is the message given by Labi Siffre optimistic or pessimistic? Account for your answer.

FORUM 4.1 Share your answers to question (f) above in the forum from 2nd to 5th June.

3.4. Paraphrase the following phrases from the song.

The higher you build your barriers, the taller I become The farther you take my rights away, the faster I will run The more you refuse to hear my voice, the louder I will sing

You hide behind walls of Jericho You squander wealth that’s mine When they insist we’re just not good enough, well we know better

4. Focus on Grammar

Look at the highlighted words in point 3.4. The writer of the song is establishing ideas of comparison by means of the following structure:

(The + adjective/adverb in its comparative form) + (The + adjective/adverb in its comparative form)

The following phrase is a clear example of this form of comparison:

“The sooner, the better”

It means it is convenient or preferable to do something as soon as it is possible. 10

Look at the following example from the song:

The higher you build your barriers, the taller I become

It means that no matter how high the build their barriers, they will become taller so as to go over them/ tall enough to go over them. The barriers represent the obstacles that prevented black people in South Africa from having equal rights. Thus, the song means that no matter high difficult they make it for them to get equal rights, they will find the way to succeed.

Now try to explain the meaning of the other comparative expressions that appear in the song:

- The further you take my rights away The faster I will run

- The more you refuse to hear my voice The louder I will sing

Extra practice

Do the following activities in order to keep practising comparative expressions

 Unit 9 (Equatives, comparatives and superlatives) from Oxford Practice Grammar Advanced by G. Yule.

Unit IV Lesson 12

How good is your English?

1. Focus on language

In this lesson we would like you to concentrate on some specific aspects of 11 language. In order to do that, we can start by analysing some of the most common failings in written English and why they are produced. We are talking about mistakes usually made, not only by learners but also by native speakers.

A. Raise and rise

Raise

It means 'to cause something to rise or become bigger or better'. This verb always has an object. It is a regular verb: raise, raised, raised.

Examples

- The teacher raised his hand to tell the children to be quiet. - Mary Quant was the first fashion designer to raise hemlines. - I had to raise my voice in order to make myself heard over the noise in the classroom.

Rise

It means 'to move upwards, to increase or to become higher'. This verb never has an object. It is an irregular verb: rise, rose, risen.

Examples

- The balloon rose gently into the air. - She rose from her chair to welcome us.

- Murmurs of disapproval rose from the crowd.

A.1 Complete the following sentences with raise or rise in the correct form and tense.

1. He tried to …………… the lid of the chest, but it was too heavy for him. 2. The teacher …………… from his seat and opened the window. 12 3. The patient tried to …………. himself up on his elbows. 4. The rocket …………. quickly into the sky. 5. They have …………. the level of the water in the reservoir. 6. His hopes ………… as the big day drew near. 7. I don’t wish to …………. false hopes, but I think you did very well in the interview. 8. If you know the answer, ………….. your hand. 9. Prices have …………….. sharply in the last few months. 10. When you put yeast in bread and bake the bread, it ......

Check your answers with the key at the end of the unit.

B. Fewer and less

B.1. Answer the following questions

1. What is the grammatical difference between ‘fewer’ and ‘less’? 2. Do you remember the concept of countable and uncountable nouns. 3. Which is countable? fewer or less? Which is uncountable?

B.2. After this reflection do the following tasks.

Fewer or less? Detect the mistakes

1. We must plan our household economy so as to have less expenses. 2. He was advised to eat less eggs in order to cut down his cholesterol intake.

B.3. Supply the correct word: less or fewer

1. We require a policy that guarantees………. Unemployment 13 2. If the wearing of car safety- belts were made compulsory there would be ……………. road deaths. 3. By now you should be making ………………………. grammatical mistakes. 4. She has done …………………….essay writing than the other students.

How are you getting on with these exercises? Are they tough? If you think they are, trust me, they are good for you, they help to raise your language awareness.

Check your answers with the key at the end of the unit.

C. Lay and Lie

‘Lay’ and ‘lie’ are often misused.

Lay

We’d like to remind you that the verb ‘lay’ (put) always requires mention of something that is laid, it is a transitive verb, so , it has an object Look at the examples:

- A hen lays eggs - An expert lays a carpet - A gamekeeper lays a trap.

Lie Lie is not transitive

He is lying down.

Confusion can arise over the past tense of ‘lie’. Past tense of he is lying down:

He lay down 14

Laid is the past tense of only transitive verbs.

The hen laid three eggs.

C.1. Correct the mistakes in all the sentences and account for your corrections. (There may be some other language mistakes, not only those connected with the verbs.)

1. We laid out on a sunny hillside.

2. She was lying out the cards on the table.

3. Lay down on the bed!

4. We left the body where it laid

5. They are lying down new regulations for entry.

6. The terrified dog laid absolutely still.

Check your answers with the key at the end of the unit.

Extra practice

Do the following activities in order to keep practising:

 Fewer/Less - Few/Little: page 92 onwards from Oxford Practice Grammar Advanced by G. Yule.

Unit IV Lesson 13

Aims:

 Reflect on prejudice and different forms of discrimination  Analyse and use topic vocabulary  Develop critical thinking on current issues 15  Discuss and give opinions orally  Develop and improve speaking skills

READING COMPREHENSION

1. Pre-reading activity

Questions for thought and reflection

You are going to read a text entitledd The Thoughts of Lizzy. Before reading, reflect on the following: a) What different kinds of discrimination are there in the world of today? b) Do you think types of discrimination may vary from one country to another? Why is that so? c) What about discrimination in your own country? What do people tend mostly to discriminate about?

2. While Reading

While reading the text, reflect on:

a) The kind of discrimination the text is about. b) Do you think the text reflects real life?

The Thoughts of Lizzy

Ronnie Carter never treated her as an equal or even a real person, just as a useful object. She knew if he had a male secretary, he would not be able to behave like that. She knew she was good at her job and she hated being patronized. In some way he seemed to think he was naturally superior to her and she wondered, not for the first time, what sort of relationship he had with his wife. 16 The company prided itself on offering equal opportunities to men and women, but only at management level, she thought sadly. There was definitely discrimination as far as promotion was concerned. No secretary had ever been promoted to executive level. Only last month, Charles Taylor’s secretary had been turned down because the board had been too narrow-minded even to consider that a secretary could make a good executive.

It was difficult for her to suppress her natural inclination to say what she thought but, along with her colleagues who were very supportive, she had decided to try and open Ronnie’s mind to the fact that women were people and should not be automatically categorized as a sub-species. Everyone should be considered on their merits, not on their sex. Having preconceived ideas about anyone was just not acceptable in the 1990’s. In the meantime, however, a girl couldn’t help imagining a bit of revenge!

3. After Reading

Answer the following questions about the text. a) What kind of person is Ronnie Carter? What seemed to be his views about women? b) How does she describe the kind of relationship they have? c) Is Ronnie´s attitude supported by the company they work for? Account for your answer.

4. Focus on Vocabulary

Look at the underlined words and phrases in The Thoughts of Lizzy. Try to work out the meaning of that vocabulary by analysing the context in which it appears. Check your assumptions using a dictionary.

ASSIGNMENT 4.1 17 Write an essay of 250-300 words stating your opinions about ONE of the following issues.

a) There is no person alive who has no prejudice.

b) Advantages and disadvantages of interracial marriage. c) It's easier for younger people to find a job than it is for older people.

Since it's your own opinions what you're expected to state, you MUST NOT use other people's words in this assignment. Plagiarized essays will not be accepted.

Deadline: 7th June

READING COMPREHENSION

1. Pre-reading activity

You are going to read part of an interview with Richard, an actor who is suffering from AIDS. Before reading a) consider what you already know about AIDS. b) try to predict in general terms some of the things Richard may possibly say.

2. Reading

Richard is an actor who has AIDS. The disease was diagnosed last November while he was away on a tour. He has been given three years to live. He talked on Woman’s Hour this week to Ann Taylor, not so much about facing up to death as a young man, but facing up to the life he has left to lead. She asked him how he reacted at the time when he first heard the diagnosis. 18 R (Richard): I suppose I was in a state of shock, though I wasn’t aware of it at the time. I thought I was going to be able to cope absolutely magnificently, and be wonderful and all that, and hhhem, against the doctor’s advice I actually went back to do the show that evening – it was the only evening show of the whole tour and I wanted to do it. And I felt fine, and the next day I did the first show and I felt fine, and then the second show I didn’t feel so fine and then as the day progressed I started feeling terrible.

I (Interviewer): Was that physically or mentally?

R: It was mentally and in fact we were – I was having dinner in a kind of hamburger restaurant with three members of the company and I just got an incredible attack of panic, and none of them really knew I was – you know, I was crying into my hamburger, and , and nobody really knew what to do and I phoned the local Samaritans who were marvellous and calmed me down and really enabled me to make the decision that I should go back to London an leave the show which I did the next day. I just, I just wanted to be home, you know with it, and try and, well, just sort out what my life was going to be like. Hhhhem, I think I was aware right from the beginning that the problem wasn’t going to be about dying, it was going to be about how, how was I going to live and what was I going to do with whatever the rest of my life was or is.

I: What about reactions from other people outside your immediate friends, have you been treated in any sort of hostile way?

R: Hhhhem, mostly I’ve been treated with great kindness. There are still lots of irrational fears about it. I means, there is one actress friend of hours that – I think it took her about six months before she dared come and visit, visit the house.

I: How did the disease affected you physically?

R: It’s the lack of energy that really gets me down the most, I mean, simple things that one had once just taken for granted like going down and doing 19 the shopping. I can’t actually guarantee now that I can get back, and I’ve got a series of , of walls that I’m able to sit on to have a rest before I, sort of, sort of slowly trudge home. And sometimes I need help to climb the stairs. One never knows when the energy’s going to go.

(Extract from recording 14 from Paths to Proficiency by Naylor and Hagger ed. Longman).

3. Comprehension questions

Answer the following questions.

1) How did the disease mainly affect him at the beginning? 2) How did people around him react when they got to know about his disease? Was he discriminated? 3) How did the disease affect him physically? 4) What sort of fears did he probably refer to by ‘irrational fears’? 5) Do you think he had a positive or a negative attitude about his situation? Why?

4. Focus on vocabulary (1)

Some idiomatic expressions are used in the interview. Try to work out the meaning of those expressions (in italics) through the context. You can check your answers by looking the expressions up in a dictionary.

a) He talked not so much about facing up to death, but facing up to the life he has left. b) I was in a state of shock. c) Just sort out what my life was going to be like. d) The lack of energy gets me down. e) One had just taken for granted.

5. Focus on vocabulary (2) 20 Richard says at the end of the interview: I sort of slowly trudge home. Trudge is a term that refers to the way he moves or walks back home. Taking the context into account we can infer that the idea of trudge implies certain sort of difficulty to walk so you do it slowly, with heavy steps, especially as a result of feeling tired.

Now do the following exercise. Match sentences 1-10 with their equivalent versions, a-j. Pay close attention to the underlined words, since all of them refer to different ways of walking.

1. His injured foot made him limp badly. 2. Be careful or you’ll slip on this icy pavement. 3. She was not looking where she was going and tripped over the dog. 4. The exhausted men had to trudge for five miles over the snow. 5. The boxer staggered to his feet just before the count of ten. 6. In order not to awake his sleeping parents, he crept upstairs to bed. 7. We strolled arm in arm along the promenade watching the people on the beach. 8. My bus leaves in 5 minutes, so I’ll have to dash. 9. Normally a baby will crawl around the floor before it learns to stand up and walk. 10. The old woman was found wandering through the streets, not really conscious of where she was or what she was doing.

a. He stood up unsteadily as if about to fall, because he was dizzy.

b. You might slide accidentally.

c. She was moving around without any special purpose or destination.

d. He walked slowly because he was tired.

e. He/she will move on his/her hands and knees.

f. We walked slowly, leisurely.

g. He walked unevenly because his foot was hurt. 21

h. I’ll have to leave quickly, in a rush.

i. She caught her foot on the dog, she stumbled and fell.

j. He walked quietly, stealthily, slowly.

Check your answers with the key at the end of the unit.

STUDY TIP Try to register and record these verbs so you can later use them in essays or compositions.

Unit IV Lesson 14

Aims:

 Reflect on prejudice and discrimination  Develop critical thinking on current issues 22  Analyse and integrate the information and linguistic knowledge dealt with in this unit.  Improve reading comprehension skills.  Improve the linguistic and communicative competence through the expression of opinions about the topics discussed throughout this unit.

Reading a novel:

Running with Scissors, by Augusten Burroughs

There are many films which deal with the problem of discrimination and prejudice in different historical times. In this unit we are going to read 'Running with Scissors', an autobiographical novel by Augusten Burroughs (born in Pittsburgh, USA, in 1965).

Running with Scissors is the true story of the author, whose mother gave him away to be raised by her unorthodox psychiatrist. So at the age of twelve, Burroughs found himself amidst Victorian squalor living with the doctor’s bizarre family, and befriending a pedophile who resided in the backyard shed.

The 2006 film version stars Alec Baldwin, Annette Bening, Jill Clayburgh, Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow and Evan Rachel Wood.

Running with Scissors - Augusten Burroughs

Before reading

Read the following extract taken from a review of "Running with Scissors", written by Carolyn See for The Washington Post: 23

“Running with Scissors is hilarious, freaky- deaky, berserk, controlled, transcendent, touching, affectionate, vengeful, all- embracing. . . . It makes a good run at blowing every other [memoir] out of the water.”

After reading this extract, can you predict any situations/events that may appear in the novel?

______

While reading

Now download the novel from our platform and check your predictions as you read it. How many predictions did you get right?

After reading

Answer the following questions about the novel:

1. Discuss your initial impression of Dr. Finch’s practices. How do they change throughout the book? Do you think he’s unconventional or is he dangerous? Which of Dr. Finch’s “methods” did you find most bizarre?

2. What sort of person does Augusten’s mother Deidre initially appear to be? Does your impression of her change throughout Running with Scissors? Does Augusten’s? How? 24 3. Why does Deidre leave Augusten with Dr. Finch? Did she do the right thing? With whom would Augusten have been better off? Why? What would you have done if you were left with the Finch family?

4. Augusten initially likes Dr. Finch. Do his feelings toward him change? Why? Is Dr. Finch eccentric or crazy? What’s the difference?

5. The Finch family lives accustomed to chaos and filth. Do you think it’s possible to get used to anything after a while? Explain. Are their things about your way life that might seem strange to other people or other cultures? Have you ever had to adjust to a situation that initially seemed foreign or disturbing to you? Explain.

6. Augusten writes, “It was one thing to be gay. But it was something else altogether to seem gay.” What do you think he means?

7. Augusten writes that “Finch believed that anger was the crux of mental illness”. Do you agree with the doctor? Why? Who in Running with Scissors seems genuinely mentally ill? Why?

8. Should Hope be charged with animal cruelty because of her treatment of the cat? Should Augusten and the other Finches be charged as accomplices?

9. Why do you think Natalie and Augusten become best friends? What pulls them apart? Do you believe Deidre’s finally accusation? Explain.

10. Natalie and Augusten were the closest people in each other's lives. What made them so compatible? They were thought to be so close yet a single event tore them apart completely. Was their relationship real or a means of survival?

11. After the initial release of Running with Scissors, the family sued Burroughs claiming it contained fabricated material. Consequently, the book had to be classified as a novel rather than a memoir. Still, Burroughs insists that all of the stories are true. Because of the 25 outrageous nature of some stories, do you think that some details were exaggerated to put the author in a more complimentary light?

FORUM 4.2

Many critics have classified this book as a comedy. Do you agree?

Share your answers in the forum from 14th to 17th June.

ASSIGNMENT 4.2

Record an audiofile (4 - 5 minutes long, .wma or .mp3 extensions only) answering the questions below. Your speech must show your understanding of the events and happenings within the story.

THIS IS A FREE SPEECH ACTIVITY, THEREFORE YOU MUST NOT WRITE A TEXT AND READ IT ALOUD.

 Which member of the Finch clan did you sympathize with the most? Why? Which did you dislike the most? Why?

 Dr. Finch believes that children should choose their own parents. Do you agree? Who does Augusten eventually choose? Did he make the

right decision? Why? Are there any circumstances under which a child should disown his or her family?

 There is a revaluation towards the end of the book. Did it surprise you or was it expected?

 How does this novel relate to the topic of prejudice and discrimination? 26 Deadline: 16th June

This is the end of Unit 4. Evaluate your performance throughout the unit by reflecting on your performance.

Complete the following sentences:

In this unit... 27 I learned ......

I understood the following very well ......

......

I am having difficulty with ...... because .....

......

My plan for dealing with the difficulty I am having is ......

......

What I liked most about this unit is ......

The most frustrating thing about this unit is ......

Make sure you have submitted all your mandatory assignments for correction.

KEY TO UNIT 4

Lesson 11

Reading comprehension